MonRose Grande Cuvée Extra Brut – 2012

A MonRose that forgoes the cuvée

The MonRose Grande Cuvée Extra Brut 2012 is a vintage sparkling wine made from pure Pinot Noir, grown in the Dalsheimer Bürgel vineyard. Not a blend of three grape varieties as the name might suggest, but rather a decision in favor of a single one.

MonRose Grande Cuvée Extra Brut 2012 is the grand vintage sparkling wine from the Raumland sparkling wine estate in Flörsheim-Dalsheim, pressed from 100 percent Pinot Noir. During the blending process, the parcels in the Dalsheimer Bürgel impressed the family so much that they abandoned the multi-varietal blend for this one year. In the end, 1,989 bottles were filled.

Apricot, redcurrant, and woody spice

On the palate, powerful and long-lasting notes of apricot and redcurrant unfold, carried by an exceptionally fine mousse.

The generous maturation in wooden barrels, which accounted for 45 percent of the base wines, adds a spicy layer and gives the sparkling wine its backbone. 7.5 grams of acidity per liter and a dosage of just 3 grams make it seem austere if served too cold, and surprisingly soft once it reaches room temperature.

It is taut, spicy, and chalky in the glass, with a long finish. The calcareous marl soils of the Bürgel are responsible for this, as their minerality runs like a thread through the entire wine, giving it more depth than its light color would suggest.

With dark meat and truffles

Pure Pinot Noir possesses a core that a sparkling wine made from three varieties rarely shows with such clarity.

Dark meat suits it well, as does roast duck, game birds, or pasta with freshly shaved truffles. It is too powerful for delicate fish, but not at all for a late-evening cheese board.

It performs best at 9 to 11 degrees Celsius, in a bowl-shaped glass, and without rush. It would be wasted as a quick aperitif at the door, as its best qualities only emerge after the second sip. Those who give it as a gift can include the packaging with the estate’s wooden box.

From the Bürgel to the bottle

The year 2012 began bitterly cold and remained dry until April; the long-awaited rain only arrived at flowering.

The summer then delivered exactly the temperatures the grapes needed, and they were harvested by hand in September. What went into the press were small, thick-skinned, perfectly healthy berries, exactly what a sparkling wine with long aging requires. The tirage bottling followed on July 29, 2013, along with the second fermentation in the bottle.

It was only disgorged on April 25, 2024, meaning after more than ten years on the lees, hand-riddled like every bottle at the estate. One vintage, one variety, one vineyard. Volker Raumland founded the business in 1984 and named this sparkling wine after his wife, Heide-Rose; his daughters Katharina and Marie-Luise have been working with him since 2019.

The preceding 2011 vintage, on the other hand, showcases the three-variety cuvée, allowing the difference between a blend and a single-varietal wine to be tasted in the same label. Alongside this are other sparkling wines from traditional bottle fermentation and sparkling wines with long lees aging.