S. Coquillette
Grand Cru Brut Rosé
Rosé
France: Champagne
Mission Briefing
Les petites bulles
Today’s high-scoring French Champagne is highly recommended… but very limited. We managed to get our hands on every last bottle that the supplier had on hand. At over 30% off, this wine will sell out.
Delicious, delicate and creamy on the palate, this perfectly-balanced sparkler is the sort that can be enjoyed as an aperitif but has the structure and complexity to hold its own through an entire meal.
Enjoy with a wide range of foods, including soft cheese, game birds, fish and chicken. We paired ours with baked soft cheese topped with chopped leaks and chanterelles and a wild mushroom risotto.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | A pale coral hue with very fine effervescence. Bubbles are extraordinarily tight and fast-rising, setting the expectation of a Champagne of great style. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Delicate aromas of orange zest, dried plum, and pink grapefruit rind, with a hint of wet limestone, a touch of minerality, and slightly underripe wild strawberry. |
| Taste: | Incredibly complex and captivating, with hints of cranberry, white peach, candied fruit, fresh rhubarb, and watermelon rind. |
| Finish: | Long, silky, smooth and delicate, with plush red fruits and a hint of crisp watermelon. |
| Pairing: |
What the Winery Says
Wine Spectator
91 Points
Subtle, yet offering a firm backbone of well-integrated acidity and a range of currant, fresh plum, whole-grain toast and macerated peach flavors. Features a zesty finish, with a hint of ground ginger. Drink now through 2018.
Wine & Spirits
94 Points
The essence of a red wine, this rosé’s tension and vivacity have as much lift as its bubbles. They present a range of ethereal scents, from roses to pink grapefruit and orange zest, fragrant strawberries and cream. It’s a bright and delicate match for roast fish, while substantial enough to stand up to roast quail.
Burghound.com
The Ultimate Burgundy Reference
92 Points
An overtly fruity but not simple nose is comprised of cherry, strawberry and raspberry plus a hint of yeast. The delicious, round and generously effervescent flavors are quite forward yet carry excellent complexity on the moderately dry, clean, crisp and lingering finish. I quite like this as it’s easy to like but with lovely depth and length. A very full-flavored rosé that is ready now.
About the Winery
Champagne Coquillette is situated in Chouilly, a village classified as Grand Cru in the Côte des Blancs. Stéphane Coquillette is a fourth generation winemaker in Champagne. His grandparents (Pierre and Hélène Coquillette) established the marque Champagne Saint-Chamant in 1930. In 1950, Stéphane’s father Christian took over the estate, which he still runs today. When Stéphane came of age, Christian sent him off on his own, thus Stéphane created and runs his own estate, Champagne S. Coquillette. The majority of the grapes come from Chouilly (Grand Cru), Cuis (Premier Cru 99%) for Chardonnay, d’Aÿ (Grand Cru) and Mareuil/Aÿ (Premier Cru 99%) for the Pinot Noir grapes.
The vineyards are planted on limestone soil, growing on 10 inches of arable earth and directly on the “roche mere” or mother rock made of chalk decending for tens of meters. The characteristic of the sub-soil adds to the expression of aromas from the fruit and creates a refined wine. The vineyards are worked in part by plough and then the ground is covered with bark in order to stop erosion and prevent weeds from sprouting. Herbicides are avoided at all costs. Everything is done by hand, such as trellising and pruning, which avoids disease and allows for a healthy crop. There are four wine presses of 75 and 150 hectolitres. The juice is then stored in their new winery built in 2001.