Nicolas Maillart Champagne Grand Cru Rosé Extra Brut
We have 11 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Bouzy is as famous for still red wine as it is for Champagne. This grand cru village on the southern flank of the Montagne de Reims faces toward the Marne valley, catching more sun than the north-facing villages around Reims, and its Pinot Noir ripens deep enough that growers have long bottled a still Bouzy Rouge. The slopes are Campanian chalk, which keeps the fruit taut even in warm years; Chardonnay is planted lower on the plain. Because a grand cru label requires every grape to come from grand cru sites, and Bouzy is Maillart's only grand cru village, this rosé is a pure Bouzy wine. That combination of ripe Pinot and chalk is why Bouzy makes some of the most vinous rosé Champagne in the region.
The Wine
Nicolas Maillart's Grand Cru Rosé Extra Brut is built by assemblage: a white base colored with a small dose of still red Bouzy Pinot Noir, about 2 percent of the blend. The current spec lists 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, drawn from four vintages plus a solera of reserve wine. The wines ferment and age for 10 months in 228-liter barrels or a 3,000-liter foudre, go unfiltered, and receive a dosage of about 1 g/L. Malolactic is rare in this cellar, which keeps the acidity bright. Expect a salmon-pink color with a fine, persistent bead; redcurrant, sour cherry, rhubarb, orange pith and hibiscus; a vinous, mouthfilling palate; and a finish that turns chalky and incisive. This is rosé Champagne from Bouzy with real weight, not a pink aperitif.
The People
The Maillart family has owned vines on the Montagne de Reims since at least 1753, starting in neighboring Chamery, where a 1533 survey of vines for the abbey of Saint-Nicaise was drawn up by one Pierre Maillart. Today the vines are held by three separate family companies, which is why Nicolas operates as a négociant-manipulant even though every grape comes from land he farms himself. The Bouzy holding was the last piece, folded into the estate in 2013; his father had planned the consolidation years ahead, so the cellar in Écueil was built for the full domaine before the vines arrived. In 2023 Kermit Lynch added Maillart to its book, its first new Champagne grower since 2006, a measure of how far the estate has come.
Food Pairing
With its Pinot weight and near-zero dosage, this rosé can carry a main course. Seared duck breast with a sour cherry pan sauce matches the wine's red fruit while the acidity cuts the fat. Beet-cured gravlax on dark rye with dill crème fraîche plays salt and earth against the chalky finish. A country pâté with cornichons and grainy mustard gives the acidity something rich and salty to work against. Grilled lamb chops with rosemary and charred lemon show off its tannic grip. Pour it at Thanksgiving, when one bottle has to handle turkey, cranberry and everything else on the table.
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Champagne is the northernmost major wine region in France, defined by its cool climate, chalky soils, and centuries-old tradition of sparkling wine production. Centered around the towns of Reims and Épernay, the region is divided into key subzones like the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, and Côte des Blancs, each favoring different grapes—Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Chardonnay respectively. The region’s signature chalk and limestone soils provide excellent drainage and impart a distinctive mineral character to the wines. While méthode champenoise was refined here in the 17th century, Champagne’s global prestige grew through the 19th and 20th centuries, cementing its role as the benchmark for sparkling wine worldwide.
