History
Champagne Fleur de Miraval is a co-operation between two partners: a Champagne producer and a wine estate in Provence. The latter is also a joint venture. So it’s a bit complicated – and because one of the partners is a Hollywood star, we have to go into a little more detail. Basically, it’s about three families, symbolised by the PPP logo, which stands for Péters-Perrin-Pitt. Miraval, the central element of the name, refers to an ancient estate in Provence. In the 1970s, it was once a famous recording studio where albums such as Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ were recorded. In 2008, Hollywood dream couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt moved in as tenants, and in 2011 they bought Miraval. The collaboration with Marc Perrin from one of the leading winegrowing families on the Rhone began in 2013. They founded the joint venture Miraval Provence for the production of rosés in particular.
Marc Perrin, at any rate, is an outspoken lover of mature champagnes from the Côte de Blancs. As such, he eventually met Rodolphe Péters, the owner of Champagne Pierre Péters in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Péters՚ family once came to Champagne from Luxembourg and bottled the first champagne in 1919 (more in my book). Today, the house is one of the most renowned in Champagne and is based in the Mecca of Chardonnay-champagnes, so to speak. This is why Péters primarily produces Blancs de Blancs. Except for a Rosé for Albane, named after his daughter, which he released for the first time in 2009. This was a very individual cuvée, which has the colour of a rosé but is actually a Blanc de Blancs in character (more here).
This idea intrigued Marc Perrin. A rosé at the highest level, but one that speaks the language of the chalky terroir and is not characterised by the distinctive aromas of Pinot Noir. He inspired his partner Brad Pitt, and in 2020 Miraval Provence and Champagne Pierre Péters founded Fleur de Miraval, based in Le Mesnil at the site of Champagne Pierre Péters. With Perrin as President and Péters as Managing Director.
Style
Fleur de Miraval is ‘exclusivement Rosé’ – and some other things are also fundamentally different from Champagne Pierre Péters. Firstly, its status as a négociant. Unlike the parent company, grapes are purchased. The 16 hectares of Chardonnay Grand Crus that Péters owns on the Côte de Blancs, 12 of which are in Le Mesnil, play an important role in the ‘Grand Champagne’ (more on the ‘Petit’ later). The Pinot Noir, however, comes from young vines in Vertus and is bought in. Pierre Péters has HVE certification for sustainable viticulture, Fleur de Miraval makes no mention of this. The grapes are pressed in two small, gentle 4000-kilogram presses, and the must is only moved by gravity. Fermentation takes place parcel by parcel in stainless steel using different yeasts. Malolactic fermentation usually takes place, but is also partially blocked in hot years.
The Fleur de Miraval rosé is produced using the ‘méthode saignée’, i.e. the ‘bleeding’ of the red grapes. Just like in rosé production in Provence. In fact, the resulting wine makes up a quarter of the blend. The second quarter consists of Chardonnay base wines from the respective year. The third comes from a ‘perpetual reserve’ that dates back to 2007 – partly stored in wood, partly in stainless steel – and is refreshed annually. And the last quarter comes from the ‘Remise en cercle’. This is a very rare (and expensive) process whereby bottled champagne returns to the cycle. This means opening, degassing, assembling and re-fermenting. It is a process that Moët & Chandon used for its luxury cuvée MCIII. And Rodolphe Péters for his one-off Heritage bottling, which contains champagnes from all four generations of the family in one cuvée.
Portfolio
For the first three years, Fleur de Miraval operated as a monobrand, comparable to Champagne Salon, which is also based in Le Mesnil. This means that only one champagne was presented at a time. Unlike Salon, however, Fleur de Miraval is not a vintage, as reserve wines are very important for its style. However, the annual bottlings bear numbers. After ER 1 (for ‘Exclusivement Rosé’) with the base vintage 2016, which was presented in autumn 2020, ER 2 and ER 3 have been released so far. ER 4 from the 2019 base year will then be presented in October. Just over 1,000 bottles of each edition have been kept back and will be released as a late release in the future.
In autumn 2023, the narrow portfolio was then expanded with the Petite Fleur. It is Miraval’s entry into the world of rosé champagne. It is produced from purchased grapes, 65 per cent of which are Chardonnays from Le Mesnil. 5 per cent Pinot Noir red wine from Vertus is added by blending. Both red and white grapes were sourced from 2019 for the premiere, plus 30 per cent reserve wines. A good 20,000 bottles of Fleur are filled each year, with a good quarter less of its little sister.
Tasting
Petite Fleur shows a delicate salmon pink colour in the glass with a lively mousse, mainly floral notes on the nose, plus some raspberry. Fresh, straightforward and precise on the palate, with good acidity and medium structure (92 p.). The first Fleur de Miraval, presented in 2020, did not yet have a number and is only referred to internally as ER 1. Compared to a first tasting in Berlin almost two years ago, the champagne is currently more vinous, more ‘clarified’, with fine raspberry aromas on the nose, orange zest, brioche and some Darjeeling tea. No pink in the glass, but a delicate onion skin colour. Rich and creamy on the palate, with beautiful length (94 p.).
ER 2 was not tasted at the winery, but with a meal at Le Royal restaurant in nearby Champillon. The fruit flavours are somewhat darker here, the association of toast is stronger, and there is also a distinctive nuttiness. Good complexity, beautiful, present acidity and good length (94 P.). ER 3 again shows clearer raspberry, grapefruit and pastries on the nose. Multi-layered on the palate, with a lovely chalky salinity and plenty of freshness. An exciting juxtaposition of youthful, pure fruit flavours and ripe autolytic notes (95 p.). Incidentally, like all the house’s champagnes, an extra brut with less than 5 grams of dosage per litre.
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