NV Emmanuel Brochet Rose d’ Assemblage Extra Brut (Base 2021)
There are two kinds of rosé drinkers:
Those who say “it’s rosé season!” and pair it with shrimp cocktail and sunburns.
And those who drink this.
You’ve never heard of him—but you’ll want to pretend you have. Emmanuel Brochet is the name whispered across somm hangouts and Champagne collectors’ DMs. With just 2.5 hectares and a background in monk-level organic farming, Brochet is one of those elusive Champagne growers making wine for people who pretend they “don’t even like rosé that much.”
His Rosé d’Assemblage is made entirely from Pinot Meunier—a grape that’s usually stuck in the ensemble, but here steps into the spotlight. The fruit comes from a neighboring grower who remains mysteriously unnamed (think: the Banksy of Champagne viticulture), but farms with the same obsessive, organic devotion Brochet is known for. Once in Brochet’s hands, the wine is transformed into something electric—alive with nervy energy, bright red fruit, and the kind of clarity that makes you wonder why anyone ever buried Meunier in a blend to begin with. It makes you think:
 “Oh. So this is what rosĂ© can taste like when you’re not phoning it in.”Â
No sugary blush, no party tricks. Just poise, tension, and enough freshness to slap your palate awake and remind it of its purpose. It tastes like strawberry sorbet at a garden séance. Elegant, taut, and very much not trying to make friends with everyone at the party.
Production? Miniscule. Availability? Hilariously limited. We’re honored to have any!
The NV RosĂ© d'Assemblage (2021 base) was produced from organically farmed, old-vine Pinot Meunier—massal selections planted in 1965 in the lieu-dit La Motelle, located just a few hundred meters from Brochet’s estate in Villers-aux-NĹ“uds. Though the supplier harvests the grapes himself, pressing and vinification occur at Brochet’s facility. Disgorged in January 2024 with a dosage of two grams per liter, the blend is composed of 90% 2021 vinified as blanc de noirs, married with 10% red wine and a lightly macerated rosĂ© from the 2020 vintage. It bursts from the glass with an intense aromatic profile: pomegranate, redcurrant and blood orange mingling with notes of spice and rose petals. Brochet previously produced a RosĂ© de SaignĂ©e but has since transitioned to assemblage—a method he believes yields greater freshness, elegance and equilibrium. On the palate, the wine is medium- to full-bodied and has a lighter, more graceful structure than prior renditions, which in comparison now seem more gastronomic and robust. Shaped by the cool 2021 growing season, this cuvĂ©e is bright and precise, with mouthwatering acidity and a long, mineral finish.Â
-Â Kristaps Karklins / Wine Advocate, 94
