Emilien Feneuil Coteaux Champenois Rosé Les Maçonnettes 2020

Emilien Feneuil is a grower in Champagne who bottles this still rosé under the Coteaux Champenois appellation, the still wine designation of the region. It is pure Pinot Noir from the Les Maconnettes site, farmed biodynamically. Champagne sits at the northern edge of ripeness in France, and its deep chalk subsoil is the key to the style: chalk drains freely yet holds moisture in dry spells, reflects light and warmth back into the canopy, and gives the wine its taut, mineral spine. Making a still rosé here is demanding, since the grapes must reach enough ripeness without the safety net of a second fermentation. This wine spends twenty-four months in barrel, a long oxidative elevage that softens the acidity, builds texture and lees character, and folds a toasted, savoury depth around the red fruit. Expect a pale red colour rather than a bright pink, with red cherry, red currant and wild strawberry over earthy, bready notes and a saline chalk lift. The palate is dry, lean and textured, more like a light red than a summer rosé, with a long stony finish. Serve at 12 to 14 degrees in a red wine glass.