Yeah, we are kind of weird about Champagne. We love the stuff and think it has purpose every day of the year, not just the holidays and Valentines Day. It’s great for celebrations, but also makes a fine aperitif and excellent foil for certain dishes as well. So we’re likely to spring a Champagne piece on you any time.
We were quite taken with the Ployez Jacquemart Extra Brut Rose for its sleek bead and ample, distinctive palate. We have talked about this family-run house before but this stylish pink is something new to us. This wine is only produced in years where the red grapes excel and the base cuvee here is primarily from 2013, made with first pressed Premir and Grand Cru fruit. The red juice for this primarily red cuvée sees some time in oak which gives it a bit more depth and muscle.
The toasty edge plays nicely off the surprisingly full midpalate, and the bead is fine and precise. You’d never guess from tasting it that the dosage in this bubbly is a low 3-4 grams per liter (standard bruts run 10-15 gpl, hence the ‘extra-brut‘ handle). The lower dosage has a lot to do with the clarity of the fruit in this sparkler, but to do it this well in this style is not easy. We could say this is a food focused cuvée, but we think a lot of you will appreciate it on its own for its masculine style.