Dosnon Recolte Rose Cotes des Bar, Champagne

Dosnon Récolte Rosé is a strikingly pure and characterful Champagne from the Côte des Bar, a part of the region that feels more Burgundian in spirit than the grand houses of the north. The vineyards lie in the southern reaches of Champagne, closer to Chablis than Reims, where Kimmeridgian limestone soils dominate and Pinot Noir thrives. This is terroir that brings vinosity, texture and a slightly wild edge, and Récolte Rosé wears that identity proudly.

Dosnon is a small, quality obsessed grower producer based in Avirey Lingey, led by brothers Davy and Laurent Dosnon. Their philosophy is resolutely hands on and low intervention. Fruit is estate grown, farming is thoughtful, and winemaking is about transparency rather than polish. Récolte Rosé is made predominantly from Pinot Noir, using the saignée method, which gives the wine its deeper colour, structure and red fruit intensity. Fermentation and ageing take place with patience, allowing the wine to develop naturally rather than being pushed into an easy style.

In the glass, the colour is a vivid copper pink rather than pale salmon, immediately signalling seriousness. Aromas are expressive and savoury. Wild strawberry, red cherry and raspberry sit alongside blood orange, rosehip and subtle spice. With air, more earthy and chalky notes emerge, hints of crushed stone and dried herbs that speak clearly of the Côte des Bar.

On the palate, this is a rosé Champagne with real presence. Red berry fruit is layered and textural, carried by fine but assertive acidity that keeps everything taut and energetic. The mousse is gentle rather than frothy, giving a vinous, almost still wine like feel through the mid palate. There is a savoury undertone throughout, and the finish is long, dry and mineral, lingering with red fruit, citrus peel and chalk.

This is a Champagne made for the table. It shines with charcuterie, duck, salmon, tuna, roast poultry or dishes with earthy or umami driven flavours. While delicious now for its vibrancy and edge, it also has the structure to age gracefully over five to ten years, gaining more savoury complexity and depth.

Dosnon Récolte Rosé is confident, expressive and unapologetically terroir driven. A Champagne for drinkers who love Pinot Noir, texture and authenticity, and a brilliant example of why the Côte des Bar continues to excite serious Champagne lovers.