Tarlant Champagne Brut Nature “Zero” Rose NV 750ml

Plenty of dried-cherry and cranberry character here, but also candied lemon and angelica. Pretty powerful and highly structured, this is light-years removed from the world of pretty, light rosés. Bold and very mineral finish that’s as austere as it is exciting.

There’s a pleasing tension to this well-balanced and refreshing rosé Champagne, while the refined mousse caresses the palate and carries flavors of crushed white cherry, pink grapefruit granita, biscuit and salted Marcona almond. Chalky finish. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged January 2023. Drink now. 830 cases made, 200 cases imported.

The NV Brut Rosé Nature Zero is terrific. Here the addition of still red Pinot juice adds textural richness to play off the tension of the non-dosage style. Crushed red berry fruit, chalk, mint, rose petal and white flowers lend brilliance to this ethereal yet layered Rosé from Tarlant. Bright saline accents punctuate the finish. This is a terrific showing.

50% Chardonnay/44% Pinot Noir/6% Pinot Meunier from organically farmed, hand-harvested estate vines across 63 parcels in 4 villages near Oeuilly in the Vallée de la Marne. The main focus of Benoît Tarlant's approach the rosé is making the perfect Pinot Noir, which makes up nearly half of the wine and is the starting point of the wine (as opposed to adding a bit of red later to a white base). Judging the appropriate levels of color, tannin and red-fruit flavors is a crucial challenge, given its high proportion in the final blend and its long aging. The Pinot Noir is destemmed, very slowly pressed, briefly macerated and put into Burgundy barrel for a spontaneous fermentation and 6 months of aging; the Chardonnay is direct-pressed, then naturally fermented and aged in barrel. The wines do not go through malolactic fermentation; sulfur is used in tiny quantities during pressing but not afterward. The blending is a barrel-by-barrel, blind-tasting process; given that Tarlants' 60+ parcels are individually vinified, making the choices for both the rosé and white Zéro wines is an elaborate and extensive process.