Jean-Philippe Trousset Rosé Extra Brut

Jean-Philippe Trousset sits down in the Petite Montagne de Reims, making grower Champagne with the sort of calm confidence that usually comes from families who’ve been working vineyards for centuries and no longer feel the need to show off about it every five minutes. The Trousset family have apparently been growing grapes since the 1600s, which is slightly unfair levels of experience really.

The wines themselves lean rich, expressive and heavily Pinot Meunier-driven, which gives them a softer fruitier personality than some of the razor-sharp Blanc de Blancs styles elsewhere in Champagne. Loads of orchard fruit, citrus, brioche and creaminess, but still with enough freshness underneath to keep everything lively.

A lot of the work stays very manual and vineyard-focused. Sustainable farming, small-scale production and proper attention to the vines rather than huge industrial blending exercises. The result is Champagne that feels personal instead of anonymous.

The Blanc de Noirs especially has built a bit of a following because it manages to feel generous and textured without becoming heavy. You can drink it as an aperitif perfectly happily, but it really comes alive around food.

Grower Champagne in general tends to appeal to people who want more character and less luxury branding theatre, and Jean-Philippe Trousset fits that world very comfortably. Real vineyard personality, proper regional identity and none of the “prestige cuvée lifestyle” nonsense attached.