Vigneron Thibaud Brocard is the 5th generation of Champagne Brocard Pierre to work his family vineyards near the village of Celles-sur-Ource in the Seine River valley (known as the Barséquanais) of the Côte des Bar, the southernmost subregion of Champagne. Vineyards are entirely estate-owned and farmed organically with both northern and southern exposures.

Saignée de la Côte is a Rosé from 100% pinot noir grapes, harvested in the 2021 vintage from the Frillon vineyard, planted in 1962, located near the village of Celles-sur-Ource. Soils consist of both Kimmeridgian and Portlandian limestone and clay. The vineyard is south facing, but maintains great freshness because it is in a valley between two forests, protected by pine trees on the ridge, providing excellent ventilation, with cooling breezes most of the year.

Thibaud works non-oxidatively, and he notably utilizes nitrogen in the winery to protect his tanks, which helps him keep the use of sulfur dioxide in the winery to the absolute minimum while preserving fruit and vineyard expression. The 2021 Saignée de la Côte spent 23 months on the lees in bottle and was released to De Maison Selections prior to the AOC Champagne aging deadline. As a result, the wine is not legally allowed to carry a vintage declaration on the label—however the wine in the bottle is unblended and entirely from the 2021 harvest.

Thibaud was not interested in making rosé in the first place, as his preference is red wine from pinot noir. If he was going to make rosé at all, he wanted to make a natural, substantive, old-school rosé that drinks like a red wine with bubbles. His rosé Saignée de la Côte was born from one of the most unique, bold wines of the region – blurring the lines between red Coteaux Champenois and Champagne. There is nothing like it, and we love this Champagne for it.

Saignée de la Côte is a wild ride of psychedelic flavors, with an incredibly long finish designed to elevate food pairings or take you on a magic carpet ride. The color is intense ruby with orange highlights. The flavor profile is a celebration of savory red fruits, jam, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, and touches of rose petals, violets, pepper, and cinnamon. The palate, reminiscent of a red Coteaux Champenois, is full-bodied and vinous with thrilling acidity, red fruits, cinnamon, and licorice. It is a pure expression of Côte des Bar pinot noir. A true, bold Saignée, perfect when paired with lamb; Thibaud himself prefers it with Indian food.

Vinification – Grapes are manually harvested and left intact in whole clusters, then placed in stainless steel, where they undergo a semi-carbonic fermentation. Some of the bunches are crushed in the bottom third of the tank and undergo spontaneous fermentation. The grapes are then gently pressed in a vertical Coquard press and spend 80 hours macerating on the skins. Malolactic fermentation is natural and spontaneous, and the wines are not filtered or cold stabilized. After secondary fermentation in bottle, the wine ages on its lees for three years before disgorgement and a final dosage of 2.5g/L of organic cane sugar.

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