Deutz Brut Classic and its Extra Brut dosage

Deutz has presented its standard bearer Brut Classic with a 3g/l dosage, stating on the back label that it was “for those who love a dry Champagne”. 

Over the past ten years, the trend for French Champagne and Italian Traditional Method sparkling wine has increasingly been towards lower the sugar dosages and this has had a response similar to the one of using smaller barrels for Italian red wines in the 1990s. There are those who dismiss it as a passing fad while others are rushing to turn out Pas Dosé and Extra Brut bubbly to exploit the trend.

Nevertheless, the centuries old history of Champagne has taught us that constant evolution is part of the wine’s DNA and this is especially true of the wine’s dosage. In 18th century, for example, the wine gained its fame and popularity with an elevated measure of liquer d’expeditionadded making the Champagne decidedly sweet. Over time this ‘taste’ changed and not so much to follow a fad but because of how and when it was consumed and to meet the growing demand from and the tastes of the English who liked to drink it with their meals. It was for this reason that, in 1846, Perrier-Jouët create Cuvée K, a drier Champagne compared to those exported to the Russian and American markets, while in 1878 Pommery created for the English the first Champagne Nature. In order to expand the occasions to consume Champagne and make it easier to drink with meals, and thus not just for toasting on holidays, the sugar dosage in the wine has progressively been reduced.  Thus aside from the Brut version (up to 12g/l) there are now the lower dosage ones of Extra Brut (up to 6g/l) and Pas Dosé (No Dosage).

With the arrival of Fabrice Rosset at Maison Champagne Deutz, which was founded in Ay in 1838, greater attention has been paid to the vins de reserve in the production of its standard bearer Brut Classic. With the grapes from the Maison’s some 42 hectares of vineyards, plus those acquired from another 150 hectares, the estate has since 1995 been producing two million bottles a year, with its success in large part thanks to the style of its non-vintage Brut Classic. The key to this Champagne blend - which is equal parts of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier that have completed malolactic fermentation – is the significant percentage of reserve wines that can be as high as 40%.

Thanks to this Brut Classic has been considered a reference point for style even when it had a dosage of 10g/l and it came as no surprise that the Maison decided three years ago to present the first version of the same blend with an Extra Brut dosage, in accordance to current tastes, and it is finally available in Italy thanks to D&C. On the back label is written: “for those who love a dry Champagne”.

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