Champagne Miraval Fleur de Miraval ER1 in Gift Box

Champagne Fleur de Miraval is the first Champagne house dedicated exclusively to the production of Rosé. This project, five years in the making, is a collaboration between three families: iconic winemaking families Champagne Pierre Péters, in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Famille Perrin of Château de Beaucastel in the Rhône valley and Château de Miraval owners, the Jolie-Pitt family.

Fleur de Miraval is singular in both its ethos — exclusively Rosé — and production. The house, located in Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger, focuses solely on the Côte des Blancs. This first edition is 75% Grand Cru Chardonnay, from Cramant, Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil, blended with 25% Pinot Noir from Vertus 1er Cru, made in the saignée method. This is a true Côte des Blancs Rosé.
The Chardonnay comes from a perpetual cuvée started in 2007, a system that winemaker Rodolphe Péters has perfected at his family domaine. In addition to the complexity gained by older wines held in perpetual reserve, thousands of bottles of perfectly stored and finished mature champagnes were opened, tasted, and blended into Fleur de Miraval.

This process, "remise en cercles", further deepens the flavor andcomplexity of this extraordinary wine. Dealing with older reserves is labor-intensive and relies on the skill of the winemaker to ensure that the best result is achieved. It is a method that Péters developed for his own centennial "Héritage" cuvée with huge success.

"Our choices for our Champagne quickly turned towards the noble autolytic aromas of Chardonnay – almond, hazelnut, an elegant butteriness - all supported by superb tension and incredible freshness," explains Rodolphe. The saignée method for making rosé is rare in Champagne and notoriously difficult: "It is more art than science" to get the balance of flavors and texture correct. "We very quickly agreed that wewanted to make just rosé, but it had to be a rosé that represented who we are - an exceptional rosé that had never been produced before," said Péters. Every detail of Fleur de Miraval has been considered from the exacting and singular method of production to the unique lacquered bottle, designed to protect the Champagne from "goût de lumière" or "taste of light", a flaw that that Champagne is particularly sensitive to. With Fleur de Miraval Rosé, Champagne has a new standard-bearer, an elegant wine, and a singular experience.

Total Production: 20,000 bottles of the first edition, named ER1 for Edition Rosé, first year. ER1 is actually sandblasted on the bottle above the label and it can start a collection.

Wine Spectator 94 Points: A pale rosé Champagne, lightly copper in color, with an appealing nose of ripe fruit and spice. Lightly mouthwatering and satin-like on the palate, a harmonious version that layers ripe notes of white cherry, blood orange sorbet and nectarine with savory accents of salted almond, oyster shell and saffron. Not a powerhouse, but finely-detailed throughout, and long on the well-cut finish. Drink now through 2028.

Decanter 94 Points: An extraordinary achievement this, made by the famously difficult saignée method, yet with a wonderful onion skin colour and poised aromas of lemongrass, small red berried fruit and pink grapefruit. Rodolphe Péters from the eponymous Champagne house in Le Mesnil sur Oger demonstrates why he is seen as one of the very finest winemakers in Champagne, coaxing wonderful complexity from his reserve wines ( aged in a solera) and ensuring definition and purity from the base wines, the purity and elegance of the 25% Pinot Noir component quite breathtaking. Despite the relatively modest time on lees (three years), there is definite pedigree here, and, given the aspiration to forge a new style of rosé, a triumphant aura of complexity and latent potential. The very high expectations have been matched... and then some!