Rosé de Saignée champagne (different from Rosé d'assemblage, which has the same color and density from one year to the next) is obtained by briefly (a few hours) macerating the must (juice) with the grape skins. The natural pigments contained in the skins of black gra pes(pinot noir and pinot meunier) then color the juices, enriching them with their aromatic components. After maceration, the vat is bled. In other words, the contents are emptied to separate the must (juice) from the skins. This Rosé de Saignée champagne is windier and richer than the Rosé d'assemblage, and generally has a more intense rosé color, with nuances that obviously vary from vintage to vintage.
After the harvest, the grapes are destemmed, separating the berries from the plant parts.
Before being placed in the vat, the berries are lightly crushed so that the grape skin splits and the juice can color on contact with the skin. The aim is to let the juice (must) extract the color contained in the grape skin for a very short time.
The trick with this skin contact maceration is not to leave the wine to ferment for too long, at the risk of tasting like a red wine. That's why it's best to leave 12 to 14 hours of vatting time to work with complete peace of mind.
The saignée is punctured after a few hours, when the winemaker judges that the juice contains sufficient pigment to obtain the Rosé he wants. Some 10% of the juice is removed from the vat. This partial puncture of the juice is extracted under the marc cake, which consists of skins floating on the must.
Once separated from the skins, this new rosé must begins fermentation at low temperature. Here again, rigorous temperature control will preserve all the finesse and flavor of this future wine. It's best to keep the temperature as close as possible to 16° (up to 20°) for a longer, smoother fermentation.
Discover the Cuvée "Oeil de Perdrix (Rosé de Saignée) de la Maison Baron Dauvergne", the Rosé de Saignée de la Maison Delamotte, the Rosé de Saignée de la Maison Eden Park, the Rosé de Saignée de la Maison Fleury , and many others...