Fabulous Fleur at Locale
An exclusive new champagne with a celebrity owner and the opportunity to indulge at one of Noosa’s most delicious venues? Tony Cox grabs a glass and gets ready to think pink…
A recent tasting in Sydney saw your scribe exposed to an ambitious new Champagne, Fleur de Miraval. Some of you may know that Miraval is a producer of Côtes de Provence rosé with a reasonably well-known owner – Brad Pitt. Given his affiliation with rosé, he noticed that for some reason nobody in Champagne had hung their shingle exclusively to the pink hue, in fact, most produced it as a bit of an afterthought. Having identified the opportunity, the next part of the question was, ‘how do we do it’?
Having already had a relationship with the Perrin family of the southern Rhône Valley in France, owners of Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, one key component was covered – a partner eminently skilled at rosé production using the softer saignée method. Meaning ‘to bleed’ in French, this method involves removing juice from crushed red grapes during fermentation. With the price of land in Champagne sitting at approximately Euro 1.5 million per hectare, purchasing land was not really practical. The solution was to collaborate with someone with access to quality fruit in the key areas they wished to draw from. The third partner in what was becoming the ‘3P’ project was identified, the esteemed Pierre Péters.
The Péers family have been based in the heart of the Côtes des Blancs in the village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, since 1919 with holdings in the greatest chardonnay villages in all of Champagne. Therefore, despite being a rosé Champagne, the core expression and base would be chardonnay grapes of the highest quality.
Starting from scratch, extensive tasting sessions took place in order to button down what the wine would look like and how that would be achieved. The actual process is very extensive – too hard to put in print – so if someone would like to purchase a bottle, I’m happy to come around, share the bottle and explain the process. Better still, you can ask the question at an exclusive event at Locale as part of Noosa Eat & Drink 2025!
Back to the bubbles, three Limited Edition wines have been released to the market, ER1, ER2 and ER3 (ER standing for Exclusively Rosé), where 75% Grand Cru Chardonnay is blended with 25% young Pinot Noir, with the Pinot Noir also from the Côtes des Blancs not the Montagne de Reims. The reason being, Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims is more tannic whereas Côtes des Blancs Pinot Noir is grown on the chalk soils around Vertus so tend to be fresher and more citric, but in the grapefruit and mandarin spectrum rather than the lemon spectrum that Chardonnay brings.
The Pinot Noir is therefore utilised to provide additional freshness to mature chardonnay rather than bringing more power and roundness – it is all about maintaining the precision and linearity of those chalk soils and letting the chardonnay sing. Really, they are a Blanc de Blancs drinker’s rosé. The latest addition is the Fleur de Miraval, Petite Fleur, which is priced to provide a more affordable offer to drinkers. Given the ER range retails at about $700 per bottle, the Petite Fleur at close to $200 per bottle isn’t everyday drinking, but is worth seeking out.
True to style, it is about showcasing the quality of premium chardonnay grapes that happen to be presented in a rosé package. Within the constraints of word limits and technicalities, I hope your interest is piqued to try a bottle. Before you ask ladies, no Brad Pitt wasn’t there. But here IN Noosa, we really are in the land of the lucky as there will be a Miraval Bar in the Noosa Eat & Drink Festival Village where you can try the Petite Fleur as well as the Château Miraval Provence Rosé.
For the ultimate experience however, join Kyla Kirkpatrick, aka The Champagne Dame, for an exclusive and intimate Masterclass at Locale Noosa! When matched with divine canapés by Chris Hagan and the slick service from the Locale team, this promises to be an affair to remember. Who needs Brad when you have these opportunities at your door? Tickets will sell out fast so secure your front-row seat and be a part of Champagne history.
Cheers and good drinking!
YOUR EXCLUSIVE INVITATION!
This is a rare chance to experience some of the most exclusive and expensive Champagnes in the world guided by The Champagne Dame, Kyla Kirkpatrick.
This intimate 1.5-hour masterclass will introduce Maison Fleur de Miraval, the only Champagne house solely dedicated to Rosé and born from a visionary collaboration between Brad Pitt, the Perrin family, and the esteemed Pierre Péters Champagne dynasty.
Guided by Kyla’s expertise, you’ll delve into the history of the Champagne region, learn the art of correct service and etiquette, and discover the story behind these extraordinary wines. This rare tasting experience will include the newest release, Petite Fleur, alongside back vintages of ER3 & ER1 and Fleur de Miraval Rosé Still Wine – the cuvée that started it all.
Paired with exquisite bites by Chris Hagan, this is an unmissable deep dive into the world of prestige Champagne – an opportunity few will ever experience.
Saturday 31 May, 2pm.
$190 per person + booking fee including four glasses of Champagne + Canapes.
Visit www.noosaeatanddrink.com.au to book.
