Benoit Dehu Extra Brut La Rue des Noyers Rose de Saignee N.V. (2019)

“The NV (2019) Rosé Saignée Cuvée La Rue des Noyers is a gorgeous, wonderfully distinctive Champagne. Deep, savory Meunier character is front and center. Crushed red berry fruit, spice, dried flowers and leather all take shape in this powerful, resonant Rosé from Benoit Déhu. There is a ton of weight and gravitas. Ultimately, the Rose Saignée is all about nuance and structure, and less about fruit. No dosage. Disgorged: February 28, 2022. Drinking window: 2022-2027. 92 points

Benoît Déhu has a pretty intriguing set of new releases this year. The top wines remain La Rue des Noyers (Meunier) and Cuvée L’Orme (Pinot Noir), both of which are impressive, especially considering the challenges of 2017. There is also a collection of single-rootstock bottlings from Rue des Noyers, in this case all 2014s. Those are interesting wines to taste, but perhaps releasing them in the same vintage as the Rue des Noyers might have provided a greater opportunity for comparative tastings. Biodynamic farming is the norm. The wines are fermented and aged in neutral wood, with blocked malolactic fermentation and bottled with no dosage. These remain some of the most distinctive Champagnes readers will come across.”

Antonio Galloni, Vinous (05/22)