NV R. Pouillon "Rosé de Maceration", Brut, Champagne, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

This wine is 100% Pinot Noir from the premier cru Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Fabrice macerates the juice on the skins for up to 12 hours before it is pressed and fermented in enamel and neutral barrique. 80% of the wine continues elevage for 8 months, while 20% is racked to neutral barrique where it ages for 18 months. At 8 months of elevage the current year’s wine is blended with the 18-month aged wine from the previous year to complete the assemblage. Doing so allows Fabrice to balance the tannins which naturally come from saignée rosé with the mellowness which comes from time in neutral barrel.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The Pouillon family has been growing grapes in the region for over a century, but it wasn’t until 1947 when Fabrice’s grandfather, Roger Pouillon, decided to produce wine from his holdings along with the help of his wife, Bernedette, and his uncle, Louis Baulant, a well-known winemaker and consultant in the region. The estate continued to grow over succeeding decades as grape contracts expired allowing the family terroirs to be reincorporated into the Pouillon estate. James Pouillon, Fabrice’s father, joined the firm in 1964 and modernized the cellar by adding enamel-lined tanks and gyropalletes. Fabrice joined his father in 1998 after finishing degrees in both business and oenology school, and he has taken the winery in an exciting new direction. Working in the grand cru of Aÿ and throughout the Vallée de la Marne and the Montagne de Reims, Fabrice is crafting articulate, expressive, terroir-driven wines that are vibrantly aromatic and intricate on the palate.

Fabrice Pouillon is dedicated to the vitality, energy and health of his vineyards. In 2003, he began the work of conversion to organic viticulture and today he incorporates biodynamic principles into his work including compost management, spraying herbal “teas” and applying 500 and 501 treatments. He currently uses only organic compounds for fertilizer, pheromone confusion to ward off pests, cover crops to restore nutrients in the soil and plows alternating rows to keep vine competition and soil aeration consistent despite varied growing conditions. He is also a member of Lutte Raisonnée.