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What We Say Premier Cru Rose
Top Secret Valentice’s Day Special
In honor of all of our Lovers, The Wine Spies is offering this exceptional Rose Champagne at an unbelievable price and are also offering free ground shipping on all orders of six or more. Just enter the promotion code FRENCHSPY at checkout.
Mission Codename: Blushing for your lover
Operative: Agent White
Objective: Find the perfect Champagne for Valentine’s Day
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: House Champagne Colin
Wine Subject: NV Rose Premier Cru
Backgrounder:
Rose Champagne dates back to 1777 when it was first produced by Cliquot. Ever since, the style has been a favorite. Rose Champagne is unique in that it is the only European rose that is made by blending a white wine with a red wine, in this case 30% Pinot Noir with 70% Chardonnay (the rest are reds that are macerated the skins to extract the color pigments).
This is a Premier Cru, that means all the wine result from the grapes in our vines classed Premier Cru. The origin is Vertus, and Bergères les Vertus.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Intense orange-pink and rose in color with excellent effervescence and a white delicate and creamy mousse.
Smell – Bold fruit flavors of raspberry, cherry and a nice mineral component and a hint of creamy fresh yeast.
Feel – Solid structure and body, nice effervescence and a silky texture that makes this a joy to drink.
Taste – Red fruits and currants, a hint of honey sweetness and its distinctive mineral and yeast components provides a nicely balanced drinking experience.
Finish – Long and lively finish that invites another sip (or gulp, if your mom is anything like mine!).
Conclusion – The Colin Brut Rose Premier Cru is a delicious Champagne with a robust fizz, flavorful fruit, excellent minerality. This is a superb Champagne for the price and will complement any of your holiday celebrations. Assembled with grapes from the 2002 vintage which is widely considered to be among the best recent years since 1990 and 1959 before it. Raise your glass for a big Wine Spies Cheers on this great selection.
Mission Report:
How time flies… Just back from a few overseas missions, I realized I had forgotten that Valentine’s Day was this weekend. I can always’ count on Agent Red to both remind me; and bail me out, and today was no different.
“Why not try to get an allocation of the great Champagne Colin Premier Cru Brut Rose?”, He asked. “Perfect.” I thought. But how, time was a factor, it was nearly unavailable, we had just returned from Europe and our local ‘French’ agents had thus far been A.W.O.L.
Franticly I sent messages via email, SMS and by wire to Agent ‘Free Run’ and Agent ‘Baco Noir’, as well as informing some of our on the ground assets, should they happen to cross paths. Luck would have it that Agent Free Run called in on a completely unrelated matter.
“Free Run, can you secure a few cases of the Champagne Colin Rose for me?” He laughed, “Are you serious?”, “Its assembled with grapes from 2002 – only the best vintage since 1990!”
“Yes, I’m serious. I need some for a Valentine’s Day dinner with Agent Blush”, I continued.
“I’ll try, but no promises,” he said.
Sometimes its better to be ‘lucky’ than ‘good’, 24 hours later he messaged back:
TOP SECRET: Limited Allocation / NV Colin Rose / Only For Spies’ Valentine’s Day / Enjoy and tell your Blush you love her! / Stay tuned for some more great wine / Send Agent Baco Noir to Italy /Out/
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the House of Colin Champagne can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Champagne Colin
Tasting Notes:
Orange pink robe. Fine and light foam. Speedy bubbles. Pleasant nose, with red fruits aroma. Wine flavoured mouth with raspberry taste. Good length in mouth. Ideal with salmon and more perfect with strawberry cake, red fruit charlotte. Good with a light meal, in a cocktail or a garden party.
About Champagne Colin:
The House Champagne COLIN is located in Vertus, 20 km away from Epernay, the Capitole of the Champagne, in the department of Marne. We are located in the “Côte des Blancs” which begins from Epernay through to Bergère les Vertus. The biggest part of our vines is located in this region: – In Cramant and Oiry Classed Grand Cru – In Vertus, Bergère les Vertus and Cuis classed Premier cru.
The other part is placed in Sezanne and in Fossoy and Varennes Courtemont in the department of Aisne. The Particularity of our House is to elaborate Champagne with a lot of Chardonnay, because it represents 80% of our vines. We grow for the same part Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the two others black grapes authorised in the making of Champagne.
Our new edifice has been build in the aim of elaborating, tasting and sending Champagne in a very pratical way. All has been minded for beeing practical, from the harvest through the sending of our Champagne. The House is located only 20km away from the freeway exit. If you want to visit us, it will be a pleasure to welcome you in our new reception office. You’ll be visiting our installation and tasting our range of champagne in very warmy atmosphere with a modern and luxuous decoration, always turned toward the future…
History of House Champagne Colin:
In 1829, our ancestors were winegrowers in Vertus et Bergères les Vertus, they brought us their love and passion for the soil and the know-how in elaborating Champagne. From this period we kept a certain way of working in respect of the traditions. The work in the vines is still realized manually. Tradition is the name we always use to explain the Champagne. That’s what we apply for working in the vines until the harvest. The grapes are crushed in th traditional wood press: a Coquard which crush 4000 Kg.
However, if the original philosophy and tradition are respected, we are also concerned by the new technologies that reinforced the quality control of the wines.
The winery, like all the house, is air conditionned. After a cold settling, we inoculated the must with yeasts and we keep the temperature between 18 and 20°C. In the vat, with the thermoregulation, and in the winery with the air conditioning…so that the must can not have a violent fermentation, without lost of aromas and characters.
From this perfect balance between tradition and modernism, we are able to bring a huge palette of Champagnes, often referenced in prestigious wine guides. (Hachette, Dusser-Gerbert, Gilbert et Gaillard…).
Technical Information:
Blending of grapes: 60 % Chardonnay, 40 % Pinot Noir.
Blending of years: 2001 and 2002.
Cru: Premier Cru
Villages: Vertus, Bergères les Vertus, Cuis
