THE VINEYARD
The vineyards: A unique, prestigious still wine from the Champagne region, Rosé des Riceys is made from fine Pinot Noir grapes, ripened on the hillsides with the best exposures (delineated by the 350-hectare Rosé des Riceys appellation area).
HARVEST / SORTING
Harvesting by hand enables us to select the finest bunches of grapes for the production of our wines.
VATTING /
CRUSHING
The grapes are placed in vats in whole bunches and then undergo a traditional light foot treading.
FERMENTATION /
MACERATION
Once the bunches are in the vat, the winemaker will use his skill and know-how to determine the duration of the vatting period, which will be between 3 and 6 days.
PRESSING
The grapes are then carefully pressed to extract the juice.
AGEING
The wines are aged in vats or barrels until it is the optimal time to bottle them.
TASTING
The winemaker regularly tastes the must (fermenting juice) in order to capture that unpredictable magic moment when the famous and unique Rosé des Riceys taste emerges (it can disappear again within an hour!).
DEVATTING
At this precise moment, the winemaker will end the maceration by emptying the vat.
BOTTLING /
PACKAGING
The final stage is the bottling of the wines followed by ageing in the cellars for varying lengths of time before being released for sale in France and export markets.
APPROVAL
All the Rosé des Riceys wines are then tasted by a panel of professionals to qualify for the right to use the appellation.
TASTING
Appearance - Crystal clear with an intense vermilion color.
Nose - A complex and rich fragrance, hard to define. The bouquet includes ripe cherries and black and red berries. The famous «Riceys taste» has a touch of vanilla-almond and grenadine, set off by a hint of bergamot.
Palate - The great vintages are round, broad and full-bodied. The richness of the texture and the density of the structure make them more akin to red wines than classic rosés. Other vintages tend to have an easy-drinking character.
