Marie Courtin Indulgence 2015 Extra Brut Rosé

Peter Liem: His first attempt at rosé was in 2011, due to the perfect health of her harvest in that vintage. Called Indulgence, it's made entirely from pinot noir, and its maceration was unusually long, lasting for four days. "I didn't want to make something fruity and easy," she says. "I wanted something reflective of the Aube, of our soils here. There's a tradition here in the Aube for long maceration, and I think it's appropriate for our pinot noir." Vinification takes place in tank, producing a deep, intensely fragrant rosé champagne, but quantities are necessarily small: fewer than 3,000 bottles in that first release. Its dark, brambly flavors of cherry and redcurrant are sappy and dense, underlined by intense notes of spicy, flinty minerality, and its structure is firm and almost tannic on the finish. It’s more like a light red wine than a traditional rosé champagne, but it’s delicious, and highly expressive of Aube terroir.