Auvernier Oeuil de Perdrix Pinot Noir Rose 2022

Auvernier Oeuil de Perdrix Rose La Maison Carree 2022, biodynamic wine, 100% Pinot Noir Rose, gorgeous, full bodied Rose with depth and complexity.  Grapes are crushed and macerated for three days to extract the beguiling colour from the Pinot Noir grapes.  The grapes are then pressed and the juice transferred to oak barrels where the fermentation takes place using natural yeasts.  The wine is left to mature for a few months in barrel before bottling with no finings, filtration and a minimum of sulphites.  This is gorgeous Rose, think fine Burgundy Rose, ideal for a wide array of Burgundian or Jura dishes but also so fresh and elegant, a few glasses in the sunshine on its own is really super.

La Maison Carree,  Jean-Denis Perrochet, his wife Christine and son Alexandre run this tiny Biodynamic farm in  the North-West corner of Switzerland right on the border with the Jura. The wine making in the family dates back to the 17th century but it was Jean-Dennis who took the direction of Biodynamic.  

This beautiful region is relatively unknown and produces wines with a link both to France and Switzerland.  At La Maison Carree, their natural approach has earned them a lot of respect and attention.  Jean-Denis has championed sustainable farming in a region where natural and organic wine making has not always worked well and produced good results.

The vineyards can mostly be found surrounding the village of Auvernier, just west of Neuchâtel, with one parcel to the east named Hauterive. They gave 10 hectares in total.  The vines grow on gentle slopes rising from Lake Neuchâtel up towards the Swiss Jura mountains.

The terroir is predominantly limestone, though each parcel has a distinctive difference. Some have deeper marl and clay soils and some shallow iron rich top soil.  The differences in terroir are reflected in the grapes and wines.  The Chasselas for example on deep marl soil, the Pinot Noir on clay and limestone. 

These are sensational terroir wines of great class and finesse.  As an alternative to a Burgundy, top Jura wine or Valais, they work perfectly.  For the gastronomy of said regions, they are superb.  A note on the Pinots, both Gris and Noir, a little more expensive but absolutely beautiful.