Reichsrat von Buhl - Rosé Brut
We are drinking Rosé Brut harvested in 2016 in the Pfalz made by Reichsrat von Buhl.
The fact that German sparkling wine, called Sekt here, is in such demand at all is certainly also an achievement of the Reichsrat von Buhl winery. The winemaker responsible for todays wine worked for over ten years in Champagne as a cellar master before joining Reichsrat von Buhl and Champagne knows how good sparkling wine is made. Good omens for today’s wine. Rosé is more difficult to produce than white sparkling wine, which is partly due to the fact that it is difficult to always produce a similar color. Much more important than the appearance, however, are the bubbles, which like to interact with the tannins from the skins of the red grapes which changes the mouthfeel. So the trick is to leave the wine in contact with the grape skins just long enough to extract enough color and flavor to have a perfect result after bottle fermentation. Let’s see how this worked out.
The Rosé Brut by Reichsrat von Buhl from 2016 is made from 100% Pinot Noir. Only the first half of the gently pressed juice is used, aged in wood and steel and then allowed to mature on the lees in the bottle for 20 months. Time you can taste and above all, much more than would be prescribed for a Sekt.
The wine has a very fine mousseux, which is hardly visible in the glass and then gently comes to live on the tongue, then softly and fully fills the mouth. A great color that harmonizes wonderfully with the dark berries in the nose. A little raspberry, a little brioche, elegant. A mouth full of sparkling wine that stays for quite some time. Paired with the acidity, one has a very soft, elegant, red-fruity sparkling and the bottle is empty much too quickly. The wine tastes better and better with increasing temperature in the glass, so don’t serve it too cold. It can handle some temperature. It’s a sparkling of which you can always have a bottle in your cellar and not be disappointed.