Rose Champagne

Seductive, forward and fruity, the Imperial Rosé is a great ambassador for this famous name.  Pinots Noir and Meunier dominate the blend, with 10 % of the former added as red wine, and then 10% Chardonnay completing the ensemble and adding floral elegance and hints of white peach on the palate. 30% of Reserve Wine lends depth and complexity, and a relatively modest 9 g/l dosage complements the exuberant red fruit personality with great panache.  
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.

Gosset is the oldest known producer of wine in Champagne, its origins going back to 1584. Situated in the tiny Grand Cru village of Aÿ, 5km from Epernay, Gosset has some rather famous neighbours, including Bollinger. Production, however, is much below that of the larger houses, at around 1.3 million bottles, where as Moët & Chandon are nearing 30 million. With this small production, Gosset concentrates on the quality of its wines rather than the quantity.

I used to find the style of Gosset’s Rosé a little ponderous, sometimes almost oxidised. How all that has changed; the wine is now wonderfully clean, with flavours of rosehip, redcurrant and peach, wonderful aromatics and impeccable length. The archetype of great rosé Champagne.

Based on the 2007 vintage this is the best Non-Vintage Mailly Rosé we have yet tasted; the blend is more Pinot-dominated than the Brut, that is to say 75% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, the red grapes macerated by the saignée method, with old vine Chardonnay added at the assemblage stage. The dosage is 8 g/l.

The wine has a generous pink colouring and attractive rose petal aromatics, followed by notes of crushed raspberry and soft spice. The red fruit personality of the wine is sufficiently charismatic to make this a very good partner across the meal, from game terrine all the way through to a tarte tatin!
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

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.

Created by the eponymous widow in 1818, the Rosé is a wonderful partner to the famous Veuve Yellow Label; as always Pinot Noir is in the ascendant, making up just half of the blend. Chardonnay edges it over Pinot Meunier for the balance, lending elegance and linear authority. Wild strawberry aromas dominate here, and the palate is generous, almost savoury and vinous, yet always fresh, approachable and, as a result, incalculably delicious.  
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

The 1998 Dom Perignon Rose is a striking, intensely perfumed wine redolent of sweet candied cherries and spices. This medium-bodied wine possesses gorgeous structure, and ideally another year or two of cellaring is warranted in order for the full range of aromas and flavors to emerge. The Dom Perignon Rose is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir, with most of the Pinot coming from the south-facing vineyards of Ay. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020 (Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate, Dec 08)

Krug was established in 1843 and has since specialised in producing only prestige and specialised Champagnes. It is the only firm still producing all its Champagne in small oak casks, an essential element for developing Krug's intense bouquet and complex flavours.

This refined rosé, with exquisitely clean summer fruit and exceptional length, is about as good as rosé gets. Krug Rosé is the only prestige cuvée rosé to be blended from a palette of wines from three different grape varieties, and from a wide range of vintages. A resting time of at least five years in Krug’s cellars gives Krug Rosé its subtle bubbles and long-lasting elegance. Krug Rosé is a remarkable Champagne which encapsulates the creative spirit of Krug Grande Cuvée.

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

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) 

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!