Fleur de Miraval : ER1

Very pale pink, almost creamy white. Dominant leesy autolysis on the nose. On the palate, full-bodied mature weight with some opulent red-fruit richness, blood-orange crispness and the softness of mature fruit. Extremely accessible and charming from the moment it is poured, and certainly achieving the ambition of richness and maturity with youthful rosé crispness. The vintage used in the Chardonnay base wine was 2016, a year that was good but not great for Chardonnay and better for Pinot Noir.

Aromas of dried strawberries and flowers with some fresh peaches and white pepper. Fragrant wine. Full-bodied with a creamy texture, fine bubbles and a fresh, delicious and soft finish. A friendly and delicious wine. From actor Brad Pitt and his French wine project called Miraval. Drink now.

The NV Fleur de Miraval Exclusivement Rosé 1 is the first release from a new Champagne house formed as a partnership between Rodolphe Péters, Marc Perrin and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt that focuses just on Rosé Champagne. In developing Fleur de Miraval, Péters and Perrin observed that they were generally not happy with the way most Rosé Champagnes age, especially the Pinot components, so they set out to create a Champagne that essentially blends young Pinot with Chardonnay from both the base vintage and older vintages. The debut release of Fleur de Miraval is 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir. Chardonnay components are equal parts base vintage 2016, a perpetual reserve that goes back to 2007 and bottled 2008 and 2009 Champagne purchased sur-lattes (already in bottle, but not disgorged). The Pinot Noir is from Vertus, just south of the Côte des Blancs, vinified as a saignée, and then added to a base of white wine. In tasting, Fleur di Miraval is bright, taut and focused. The cranberry, orange zest, chalk and floral notes sizzle with energy. Not surprisingly, one of the inspirations for Fleur de Miraval is Krug Rosé, and that influence is evident in its style, weight and flavor profile. Because of its recent disgorgement, Fleur di Miraval is extremely tight, but it opens nicely over several hours. This is an impressive debut. It will be interesting to see what future releases bring. Dosage is 4.5 grams per liter.