Description & elaboration
The Special Club Rosé 2021 cuvée by Vazart-Coquart is a saignée rosé Champagne, extra-brut and of rare intensity. It is a Champagne with notes of wild raspberry — crunchy cherry — and peony, with a vinous, full-bodied palate. Jean-Pierre Vazart designed this cuvée to accompany meals built around roasted meats. This cuvée is produced in only 650 bottles.
The Terroir
The grapes come from the lieu-dit Le Revers de Plumecoq, an isolated plot on the terroir of Chouilly, a village classified Grand Cru in the Côte des Blancs.
The chalky subsoil of Chouilly, derived from the Campanian geological stage, ensures natural water regulation for the vines. Historically dedicated to Chardonnay, the presence of Pinot Noir on this plot is therefore a singular feature. The estate also holds the Haute Valeur Environnementale certification and the Viticulture Durable en Champagne label.
The vinification
The cuvée is crafted from 100% Pinot Noir from the 2021 harvest. Rather than traditional pressing, Jean-Pierre Vazart opted for a saignée rosé (short skin maceration of a few hours), which extracts colour and body — unlike a simple Blanc de Pinot Noir.
Malolactic fermentation is systematically blocked, preserving the grape's natural malic acid and the vintage's crisp acidity. The Champagne is finally sealed under a cork stopper, dosed at 3.5 g/L.
Also worth discovering: Blanc de Pinots Noirs.
The 2021 vintage
The 2021 vintage in Champagne was marked by strong climatic instability. An intense spring frost struck the buds in April, followed by a wet summer conducive to downy mildew. However, Chouilly's porous chalk absorbed the summer rainfall, limiting excess moisture at depth.
Pinot Noir reached maturity during the second half of September, thanks to the return of dry warmth that halted the sanitary degradation of the berries. This late vintage produces wines with particularly sharp acidity, a hallmark of great longevity.
Tasting notes
Colour
The colour displays a brilliant ruby hue with crushed raspberry highlights.
Nose
The wine opens on indulgent red fruit aromas: crunchy cherry and wild strawberry compose a precise bouquet. A touch of peony adds an elegant floral nuance. The olfactory complexity gains in breadth after ten minutes of aeration.
Palate
The attack reveals a lovely vibrancy, without any tannic heaviness. The palate unfolds a vinous and full-bodied texture, with frank notes of red currant in the mid-palate.
Pairing suggestions
- Aged cheese gougères
- Smoked salmon canapés
- Aged Iberian ham
- Roasted duck breast
- Spiced pork tenderloin
- One-sided seared salmon
- Aged farmhouse Chaource
- Strawberry tart
- Raspberry macarons
The Plus de Bulles expert's opinion
Why I love it?
I was captivated by the generosity of this rosé, whose vibrant fruitiness delivers a luscious, mouthwatering texture. What truly moves me is the substance of this cuvée and its aromatic persistence, carried by a structure that is at once full-bodied and delicate.
My recommendation
Serve at 9–11 °C in a wine glass to allow its generous aromatic profile to fully blossom.
Advice
How to store this Champagne?
Plus de Bulles ships this bottle (75 cl) in reinforced cartons specially designed for Champagne transport. Upon receipt, lay the bottle horizontally, away from light.
Ideally in a cellar; alternatively, in a cool, not too dry place, at a stable temperature.
Ageing potential
The Special Club Rosé 2021 by Vazart-Coquart will evolve favourably over time. This Champagne benefits from an ageing potential estimated at 15 years.
- Until 2031: the wine expresses primary aromas of raspberry and redcurrant. The acidity supports the crunchy fruitiness derived from the short maceration.
- From 2032: the palette shifts towards candied cherry compote and warm red fruits. The acidic notes gradually soften over the years.
- Around 2036: the 2021 vintage reaches its full maturity. Tertiary hints of gentle spice signal the peak of this great Champagne.
Serving advice
This structured Champagne is best enjoyed at 9–11 °C. Excessive cold locks in the expression of red fruit aromas. Favour a wide tulip glass; a brief decanting helps open up the architecture of this saignée.
A note about this cuvée
The Club Trésors de Champagne association was founded in 1971. Vazart-Coquart joined in 1996. This body brings together grower-producers who vinify exclusively the grapes from their own plots. A panel of oenologists selects these cuvées through blind tastings.
The committee first evaluates the still wine (the juice from pressing, before secondary fermentation) prior to bottling, then the sparkling Champagne after its long ageing. The engraved bottle attests to success in both assessments. The bottle shape is inspired by eighteenth-century Champagne vessels.
This cuvée marks the estate's first saignée rosé — an atypical choice on a terroir where Chardonnay has historically dominated. The Pinot Noir used here is very much an exception in Chouilly.
This approach can be compared with the estate's Grand Cru brut rosé Champagne.
To continue your exploration, discover a prestigious alternative among rosé Champagnes.
