Champagne Laherte Frères Les Beaudiers Rosé de Saignée 2018 (Disg. Dec 2021)

Disgorged December 2021. Aurélien’s premium rosé is 100% old-vine Meunier from a biodynamically managed vineyard named Les Baudiers in Chavot, Coteaux Sud d’Épernay. That’s not a typo, by the way; the first vintage of this wine bore a misprint on the label and the name Les Beaudiers has been used ever since. The vines were planted in 1953, 1958 and 1965. The vineyard lies on the lower slopes of Chavot, where the bedrock is hard limestone with topsoil made up of silex and clay. The occasional vine of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Fromenteau can be found in the vineyard as well. It’s a powerful terroir that can ripen Meunier to full maturity—so much so that Aurélien’s father used to make a red wine from this area.

The fruit was destemmed and left to macerate for 14-16 hours on skins, followed by natural fermentation in old oak barrels and maturation on lees (in the same barrels) for a minimum of 12 months, with no malolactic conversion. After being aged in bottle on lees for four years, the wine was disgorged by hand with around 2-3 g/L. Aurélien seeks a vinous and textured Rosé de Saignée from this potent terroir, but also one with delicacy and lift.