Joel Falmet Brut Rose Champagne...$49.99
Made from 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay
Joël makes a small amount of rosé, about 160 cases per year. Joël’s rosé is made by adding aproximately 10% still red wine (100% Pinot Noir) to the blend. Dosage for the rosé is 12 grams per liter (to be called Brut, a Champagne must have less than 15 grams per liter).
Joel Falmet is a small grower Champagne (RM) producer in the Cotes de Bar. The soil is Upper Kimmeridigian (same as found in Chablis). This area of Champagne produces richer and more full bodied wines than other parts of Champagne (in part due to the soil and part do to being further south and therefore slightly warmer). Many of the “Grand Marque” Champagnes generally use grapes from this region to add body and richness to their own wines. To this day, there are very few estate bottled Champagnes in the Côtes des Bar. Most of the wine is sold to cooperatives or the large Champagne houses for blending. Joel Falmet is one of the few growers that bottles his own Champagne in this region.
See the "RM" below on the Joel Falmet Rose label
GROWER CHAMPAGNE:
Many do not know that every Champagne label must have a 2 letter code on it. You will find it in very small print followed by some numbers. It is estimated that about 85% of the Champagne are labeled with "NM" or "RM". Only about 10-15% of Champagne is Grower Champagne.
"RM" or Grower Champagne produces some of the most distinctive and finest Champagnes. There is a sense of "terroir" with these wines. The large Champagne houses buy grapes from all over Champagne to create their "house style" which has nothing to do with where the grapes came from. "RM" Champagnes are the production of a small family operation that takes pride in what they do and represents the land that the grapes are grown on.
Here are the main codes you will see
RM: Récoltant-Manipulant (maker) Known as "Grower Champagne. This is a producer that has control from start to finish. They grow their own grapes and make their own wine. All the grapes are grown on their own estate (they can purchase up to 5% to supplement if needed). These are usually small family producers that do not get a lot of publicity.
RM: Récoltant-Manipulant (maker) Known as "Grower Champagne. This is a producer that has control from start to finish. They grow their own grapes and make their own wine. All the grapes are grown on their own estate (they can purchase up to 5% to supplement if needed). These are usually small family producers that do not get a lot of publicity.
NM: Negociant Manipulant (maker) Most of the big Champagne houses fall into this category. This means they purchase grapes from other growers and make their own wine. The also use their own estate grapes in their production. This has been the way Champagne has been made for hundreds of years.
RC: Recoltant Cooperative. Similar to "RM" but they produce their Champagnes with the help of cooperatives. The grower sells his grapes to a cooperative to make the Champagne for them.
CM: Cooperative Manipulant: Basically a group of growers sell their grapes to a cooperative and the Champagne is made there and sold through the cooperative. Sometimes they sell it to the big Champagne houses as grape must or even finished Champagne.
CM: Cooperative Manipulant: Basically a group of growers sell their grapes to a cooperative and the Champagne is made there and sold through the cooperative. Sometimes they sell it to the big Champagne houses as grape must or even finished Champagne.
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