Rose Champagne

The Champagne grower-producer Gaston Chiquet has made a name for itself as one of the best. In a region with thousands of small producers, it is a credit to owners Antoine and Nicolas Chiquet. Based in the evocatively named Dizy, the family first planted vines in 1746 but did not produce Champagne until 1935, when brothers Ferdinand and Gaston Chiquet took the bold step of setting up their own label, rather than merely selling grapes to the larger houses. Today they produce 15,000 cases a year.

A blend of 30 percent Chardonnay, 40 percent Pinot Meunier and 30 percent Pinot Noir, this has nine grams per litre dosage. The nose has pure, red-berry aromatics of strawberries, raspberries and hints of pink grapefruit. The palate is vibrant with an attractive weight from the dosage.
The NV Brut Rose Premier Cru is a beautifully poised, centered wine. Predominantly Pinot Noir, the Rose impresses for its breadth and rich, voluminous personality. Hints of crushed flowers, Rose petals and sweet red berries linger on the refined, polished finish. The Rose is 40% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, including 18% still red Pinot.
Drink: 2012-2016. 
Antonio Galloni - Wine Advocate - eRobertParker.com - Nov 2012

Bara’s Rosé is a cornucopia of delight, its redcurrant and rosehip core energised by the addition of 12% of Pinot Noir from Bouzy (where else?) , its balletic mid-palate bursting with joie de vie and  exhorting the drinker to the highest possible spirits.  With 2008 as its base year and plenty of Reserve Wine adding complexity, this is a broad-shouldered, vinous Champagne with a lively mousse and no lack of focus on the finish. 
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

The enthusiastically engaging Benoît Marguet-Bonnerave, the fifth generation in the family, is at the helm of Marguet. Benoît has coverted the vineyards (in two villages, Ambonnay and Bouzy, both Grand Cru) to biodynamic farming since 2009 and uses extremely low quantities of sulphites in the winemaking. He has been particularly successful with his rosé, made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir by the saignée method.

Who better than Benoît Marguet, doyen of Ambonnay, to complete our UKC Grand Cru trilogy? Sourced from the finest Grand Cru villages, this is perfectly balanced and richly structured. It is an exuberant and beautifully fragrant wine, with red berries and other summer fruits dancing harmoniously on the palate.

Billecart-Salmon is one of the few remaining Champagne houses to be owned by the original family and was established in 1818 by Nicolas-François Billecart. Most of Billecart-Salmon's fruit comes from a small vineyard holding, though this is supplemented with grapes bought in from the Marne Valley and the Montagne de Reims. Meticulous production techniques, from the use of their own cultured yeast to its long, slow, cool fermentation, ensure that the family has 100 percent control of production.

Billecart-Salmon is renowned for the quality of its delicate rosé – and rightfully so. This is a delightful rosé with a charming, fruity nose and palate with hints of roasted nuts.

Ruinart is a low-profile, yet select, Champagne house which is steeped in history. It was founded in 1729 by Nicolas Ruinart in the city of Reims, the year after a Royal Decree in 1728, whereby Louis XV gave his consent for sparkling wines to be shipped in baskets containing 50 to 100 bottles. This opened the gates of Europe to Champagne and thus makes Ruinart the oldest Champagne House.

Premier and Grand Cru sites only supply the grapes for this excellent rosé, which is made up of 45 percent Chardonnay and 55 percent Pinot Noir, with 18 percent of the latter added as red wine. A subtle nose of rosehip, spice and wild strawberry; on the palate the wine marries exuberant fruit with a richly velvety texture. Ruinart is famous for their Rosé; justly so it would seem.

The ingredients for Larmandier-Bernier’s success are many and varied; biodynamic viticulture, wonderfully old vines and a non-intervention approach in the winery to mirror the respect for nature in the vineyards. Nothing out of the ordinary on the face of it, but when all elements are joined together the results are little short of outstanding.

Made by the unusual (for Champagne) and tricky technique of prolonged skin contact with the juice, you can almost taste that extra degree of texture not generally seen in rosé Champagne. The main player here is Pinot Noir, uncommon in the Côte des Blancs, and this location tempers the fruit, giving a finesse to the subtle black cherry, rosehip and lightest touch of strawberry.  Drinking beautifully now as an apéritif, it develops a delicate savoury note with a little bottle age, pairing well with rabbit or game birds.

Archetypical rose, made from bled grapes, dominated by red fruits and an aestetic ensemble which is close to irresistible.

Moët & Chandon can trace its history back to 1743 when it was established by Claude Moët. It is now part of the massive LVMH group and is by far the largest House in Champagne, producing a staggering 24 million bottles a year and with nearly 30 kilometres of cellars in which to mature its stocks.

Coincidentally like most of the “even” vintages this century, 2004 is shaping up extremely well. Moët’s Rosé adds 22 percent Pinot Noir to a blend which is otherwise shared equally between the three classic Champagne varietals. The wine has a gentle copper colour and a nose which marries blue and black fruit with soft spice. In the mouth there is an impressive mousse and a forward red-fruit personality, the finish betraying inherent complexity with notes of liquorice, bitter chocolate and dried fig all brought to the party – and some party it is!

De Sousa is based in the Grand Cru village of Avize in the Côte des Blancs. Vigneron and paterfamilias, Erick de Sousa is third-generation Portuguese who practices biodynamic viticulture. The De Sousa philosophy adheres to late ripening, allowing the vines to benefit from the mineral-rich soils and to develop palate profiles that are both rich and pure, with most impressive length evidenced across the range.

A blend of 90 percent Chardonnay and 10 percent Pinot Noir, the Caudalies has been vinifed in oak, with the Pinot spending a year in five-year-old barrels before assemblage. The wine has a salmon colour and attractive aromas of red-berried fruit, and is gently toasty and with hints of praline and brioche. The palate maintains the red fruit theme and builds on it with layers of nuanced flavour.

Louis Roederer, a wonderful family-owned Champagne House founded in 1776, has a tremendous reputation for quality. It has remained an independent, family-owned company and is now managed by Frédéric Rouzaud, who represents the seventh generation of the lineage. Eighty percent of the firm's needs are supplied by their own, magnificent, 444 acres of vineyard holdings. In 1876 it created the now famous Cristal, at the request of Alexander II. Today it is one of the most luscious, deeply flavoured Champagnes available.

An expressive nose is followed by a mineral restraint on the palate that is now opening up. With nuanced layers of red berries and rose petal, gorgeously delicate bubbles and a precise elegant finish, this captures the essence of Roederer's signature wine.

Described by Dom Pérignon as the jewel in their crown, Dom Pérignon’s Rosé is complex, bold and unimaginably enticing. The growing conditions in 2004 were superb with no weather extremes, a relatively cool August and plenty of sunshine prior to harvest, which contributed to a very healthy crop. The ultimate result is a resounding success, and by Dom Pérignon’s standards, a fabulous vintage rosé champagne which will reward drinkers or collectors alike.

Orange/pale pink, this already has so much more concentration than 2003 on the nose. Lifted, light, deep, everything. It’s incredibly seductive, savoury and sweet, with yuzu and a lovely richness on the palate. Incredibly balanced, this is very precise in the mouth. Structured but voluptuous. Very classic, it’s so long – just outstanding.

The 2004 Pol Rosé is made from 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay and includes 13% Vin Rouge de Champagne, the latter sourced from two growers in the village of Chouilly and added to the assemblage before the second fermentation.

The complementary hallmarks of both Pol and the highly successful, indeed initially under-rated 2004 vintage are evidenced, namely supreme elegance and great harmony. The rose petal fragrances cede to a palate where wild strawberry, spiced pepper and gentle herbs are pleasingly conjoined. The wine has a certain vinosity which will work nicely with puddings, but also a distinct balletic elegance which makes it perfect also as an apéritif.
Simon Field MW, BBR Wine Buyer

Bright salmon with cherry copper tints, energy and vitality.  Initially discreet on the nose despite its breadth and underlying richness, with delicate strawberry fruit and touches of minerality.  More spicy complexity as it opens, with real depth and power.  In the mouth, fine mousse on the attack with precise mineral notes wrapped in velour, fleshy and mouth-filling but effortlessly balanced by freshness.  Needs time to develop but manages to combine the freshness of the 2004 and breadth of the 2002 within a suave textured package.  
Adrian Brice - Fine Wine Buyer

Unlike the elegant 2004, this 2005 is muscular, masculine and unquestionably a powerhouse Rosé. Initially expressive nose of spicy red fruit. Much more “red” in character than “rosé” due to the high percentage of still red wine (approx. 27% instead of average 19%). Over time the nose evolves beautifully in the glass revealing spicy strawberry notes. In the mouth the wine is big, rich, masculine and mouth-filling. Initially the acid is a touch disjointed but this can be forgiven due to the age of the wine. In the glass the palate comes together nicely with very fine tannin. This needs food and time. The vertical tasting of 2005/2004/2003/2002 really showed how Dom Perignon are possibly the best at expressing the individual characteristics of the year while retaining their beautiful house style. 2005 is another great Rosé (from the very BEST producers of Rosé) to add to the pantheon of legendary vintages since 1959. 
Gareth Birchley - Fine Wine Buyer

A perennial favourite in the UK, Champagne Pol Roger is undoubtedly one of the most popular Champagnes on our list and 2008 joins a pantheon of great Champagne vintages, rivalling 2002, 1996, 1990 and 1988. Pol Roger Vintage Rosé - they do not make a non-vintage - is often mooted by the critics as one of the best on the market and the newly released 2008 does nothing to dispel that assertion.

The house remains family owned and maintains a reputation of crafting wines of elegance and finesse capable of extended cellaring. The 2008 has been produced from a blend of 50% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay drawn from some 20 Premier and Grand cru sites on the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs. In order to obtain its delicate colour and subtle nose 15% Pinot Noir, from selected vineyards in Bouzy, Ambonnay and Cumieres, is vinified “en rouge” and added to the blend prior to the second fermentation.

Only produced in limited quantities this is delicious now as our tasting last week affirmed but it will probably be at its best in a year or so and then over the next 5 years.
Sourced only from Grand and Premier Cru sites and having slumbered in Pol's deep cool cellars for six and a half years, this outstanding Rosé fully merits the accolades that have been gleaned by house and wine alike. The blend is made up of 35% Chardonnay, the balance Pinot Noir, of which 15% has been added as red wine.

The classic vintage conditions, cool and then sunny at all the right times, is echoed by the harmonious balance of the wine, a symphony of subtle red fruit charm, with hints of vanillin and grapefruit on the finish providing even greater complexity. The pink peppercorn colour presages a gravitas which is more than merited by a rich yet vinous mouthfeel and a gently spicy finish.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Like the 2006, Pol Roger have crafted yet another seductively mellow rosé in 2008. A gentle summer pudding feel with soft strawberries and blackcurrants along with hints of elderflower and watered down lemon juice.

There is an enthusiastic introduction to the palate of richly weighted ripe red fruits whose upfront appeal precedes a languid ease and the merest hint of minerality behind. Plenty of substance and length here, serious but deceptive with an almost casually carefree finish. 2017-2022.
Peter Newton, Private Account Manager

Bollinger's Grande Année Rosé champagne is a subtler wine than its non-vintage sibling, lighter in colour and more delicate of aroma, yet ultimately more profound. Pinot Noir, as one would expect, dominates the blend ( 68%) , and is also added as a still wine, but only a relatively modest 5%. Onion-skin heading towards salmon of colour, the 2004 boasts all the qualities of this generous vintage and the wine, en bouche, combines lively red fruit notes with a savoury, satisfying finish. Taut and focused, this is an engaging exemplar of the cerebral potential of Rosé Champagne in general and Bollinger’s burgeoning expertise in this area in particular.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)