Drappier Zero Dosage Brut Nature Champagne Rose

92 Points (Cellar Selection), Wine Spectator

What I love about this bad boy is that the Champagne Drappier Brut Nature Rosé is essentially the minimalist, rock-and-roll version of pink Champagne. It skips the makeup and lets the raw material do the talking. Most Rosé Champagne is made by blending a little bit of still red wine into white Champagne. Drappier doesn’t do that here. They use the saignée method, meaning they let 100% Pinot Noir grapes macerate on their skins for about three days. This bleeds out a striking, deeper salmon/light cherry color and extracts real fruit structure and tannin. Then you throw in the zero dosage aspect. Usually winemaker use a little slash of sugar right before they cork the bottles to balance out Champagne’s harsh acidity. But the zero dosage is the zero sugar added, 100% raw and honest rose of Pinot Noir and it don’t let that scare you, because it walks the tight row to perfection.