Laherte Freres Rose de Meunier NV

2018 base, disgorged May 2022. This dazzling Pinot Meunier represents superb value in a market where rosé wines are getting more and more pricey. It’s a blend of Meunier vinified three ways. Firstly, 60% of the volume is from fruit pressed off in the traditional way to make a white wine (over one-third of this component was reserve wines that had been aged in barrels). Secondly, 30% was made as a saignée rosé (the juice left in contact with the skins for a short period). The final 10% of the blend is from a full-blown red wine.
 
The fruit is from vines with an average age of 25 years for the parcels producing the white wine, and over 40 years for those used for the red wine. The wines were fermented and aged in a variety of vessels (vats, foudre and old demi-muid barrels) before being transferred to bottle for secondary fermentation. This release is a blend of equal parts 2018 and 2017 and was disgorged with just 2.5 g/L dosage.
 
 “The NV Extra Brut Rosé de Meunier is very similar to the Ultradition version (the blend of vintages changes slightly) but bottled with 2.5 grams per liter of dosage. The lower dosage seems to bring out an extra kick of savory intensity to play off the dried rose petal, cinnamon, orange peel and crushed red berry fruit. I loved it.” 93 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous