Enjoying a terrific Philipponnat Reserve Rose tonight (2008 base, 9/13 degorgement, 9 g/l dosage). This cost me <$40 back in the day., but it provides so much more enjoyment than that. A little blood orange, a little pink grapefruit, it’s just so exuberant, balance, tasty and fun.
Despite enjoying a good amount of bubbly, I hardly ever drink rose of any kind, let alone the sparkling ones, but this is my 4th rose champagne in August — the others were an epic, transcendent 2007 Ruinart Rose, a wonderfully distinctive and zesty 2018 Ultramarine Heintz Rose, and a lovely Lassalle Réserve des Grandes Années Rosé NV — and I’ve been thrilled by each. Clearly, rose and bubbles brings joy and I intend to address this deficiency.
Given all of that, what do you think of sparking rose and what are your recommendations to seek out?
I feel like rose champagne has a higher floor — they almost all seem tasty and enjoyable.
But I also think they (1) tend not to have as much complexity and cerebral nature that I find in the best Brut Champagnes at similar price points (I haven’t had the Krug / Dom type roses, but those would then be competing with $500 type Brut too), and (2) they are usually more expensive and harder to find.
Long way of saying I tend to like but not love them. Billecart Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth is an exception — even at $250 or whatever I think it might be my favorite Champagne of all.
2007 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année Rosé - France, Champagne (6/11/2023)
Very interesting color, leaning towards orange on the spectrum. Super fine bubbles and a strawberry and light citrus flavor. This is excellent, one of the better rosé sparklers.
2014 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Premier Cru Rosé de Maturation - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (5/30/2023)
Very good. The fruit is dialed back, relatively speaking, like a dirty Provence still rose. There's earthy tones, pepper, and stone fruit.
2018 Marie Courtin Champagne Indulgence Extra Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (4/28/2023)
Blind: I've had this one a couple times before but I couldn't remember the producer's name. I look at Paul and said who is this we just had it? Indulgence.
This is a crazy wine because it looks exactly like cranberry juice and it tastes exactly like cranberry juice. It's very unique. It really needs a good 30 to 60 minutes to open up and lose some of the juiciness.
This is a fairly polarizing version of Rose.
NV Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Shaman 18 Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (2/9/2023)
The nose and explosion of red fruit, bright sweet crushed strawberries and cherry. It's shocking to me that this is Chardonnay dominated because I would have thought it was 100% Pinot Noir.
I was a little concerned that the palate would be a reflection of the aromas but that's not the case. Nicely balanced fruit and acidity, even some stone fruit mixed in for good measure. Very nice and great value in a zero rosé.
06 - sweet perfume and cherry note - the Pinot dominates this profile
04- muted nose with melon on the palate. Good balance and strawberry at the finish. Maple syrup starts creeping out as it warms.
Note: love the rose but the dosage is beginning to turn me off a bit as I enjoy leaner rose these days
2015 Marie Courtin Champagne Indulgence Extra Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (9/28/2022)
Unique is an understatement as all facets of this wine push the boundaries. The color is clue, it looks like cranberry juice. The flavor has tart cranberry and red fruit. Low effervescence. I found it fun and entertaining.
2013 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Rosé Emotion - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (8/7/2022)
Excellent. The combination of raspberry and citrus is impressive. It's creamy but has the cutting edges. Really impressive.
Stuck my nose in the glass and immediately said what's this? Probably the most complex and sophisticated aromas for a rose a sparkler that I've ever run across. Surprising at that kind of complexity in a one so young something you'd expect in a 10 or 15 year old bottle.
There was red fruit some apple a hint of cinnamon and good salinity with a good mouthfeel. Fantastic stuff
2012 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Rosé Emotion - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (1/2/2022)
Let me just get this out of the way this is one of my favorite roses on the planet. I'd like to describe the color of this wine as rust. There's a light oxidation on the nose and some brioche for added fun. Fruit profile is Cherry driven and a big dose of red fruit on the back end. The bubbles are very fine on this wine and disappear quickly in the class. Just an excellent wine.
2014 Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Ambonnay Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (7/5/2021)
Add this to the list of spectacular champagne rose. Very strong mineral note, gritty chalk in the mid palate. Beautiful red fruit, this wine is a winner all the way around.
NV Tarlant Champagne Rosé Zéro Brut Nature - France, Champagne (5/17/2021)
The 2013 base wine. Damn, I was bummed when I couldn't get anymore of the 2009 base and the blend then changed. Fear not, this is nearly as delicious. Strong buy on this one. Nice stone fruit and mineral fabric and at zero dosage, nicely balanced.
Brassy and dry, hint of anise with raspberry and cherry all in a tart format. Dark peach colored.
NV Tarlant Champagne Rosé Zéro Brut Nature - France, Champagne (2/24/2021)
Top rose on the planet, really awesome. This is the 85/15 Chard/PN blend and it really a special wine. light effervescences and strong minerality. Strawberry and red fruited. Dry finish. Excellent.
the color is wild, when I first saw it in the glass I thought it might be some sort of orange wine in a frizzante style. The bubbles disappear almost immediately after a quick swirl in the glass. The mystery continues. Strong cherry fruit core but very dry, especially for a rose, with a medicinal quality. Almost a sherry flavor. Cool stuff.
2014 Bérêche et Fils Champagne Campania Remensis - France, Champagne (7/28/2020)
Light rose colored, almost washed out. Great wine. Very good balance for rose, somethings they get too fruity, and nice acid wrapped around stone fruit and citrus with a noticeable strawberry underneath.
2013 Marie Courtin Champagne Allégeance Extra Brut - France, Champagne (6/29/2020)
A bit of a geeky sparkler. It completely reminds me of an orange wine in it's color and light oxidized style. It's nice but not my thing.
NV Marie Courtin Champagne Allégeance Extra Brut - France, Champagne (5/31/2020)
This is interesting. Some thought the bottle was flawed. It came across like a still orange wine. Burnt orange color. Foamy head but little in the wine. Geeky, no doubt, but wasn't exciting enough for anyone to revisit except to taste and say "pass".
2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut - France, Champagne (1/1/2020)
Exotic burnt auburn color, very unusual. There's an aroma of jamminess. Light strawberry with medium acidity and a whetstone mineral quality. It's a nice wine but the tariff is a little steep, I prefer a grower rose.
NV Laherte Frères Champagne Rosé de Saignée Extra Brut Les Beaudiers - France, Champagne (1/1/2020)
I guess I just like Pinot meunier based wines. I tasted this blind and guess the varietal correctly. I have no idea who the producer might be. This is such a great wine with a low dosage. One of my favorite roses. It had a very nice sourdough bread note permeating from the glass, you don't get that in a Rose very often.
2015 Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Le Rosé - France, Champagne (12/13/2019)
Blind: I'm a sucker for sparkling rose but only when it is not sweet. Winner right here, I guessed 5g/l and it might have been lower... it's actually 7 g/l but comes across in the low dosage family. I thought it might be straight up pinot muenier but there's chardonnay and noir in there too. Great stuff.
2014 Moussé Fils Champagne Special Club Extra Brut Rosé de Saignée Les Bouts de la Ville - France, Champagne (10/10/2019)
I love this wine for lots of reasons, first it's a very geeky wine and second it's just fantastic to drink. The nose is a little funky with some grassy notes and I pulled a little volatile acid which wasn't too much of a distraction. Very light red color almost like a Chardonnay in flavor profile but lean and very low dosage with light oxidation. Killer wine.
NV Camille Savès Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (8/19/2019)
I love the color of this wine, the lower level of sweetness, the red fruit / chardonnay expressions and the substantial mineral base. Superb dry rose sparkler.
NV Guy Larmandier Champagne Premier Cru Brut Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (6/15/2019)
Very enjoyable because what shows as lower dosage Rosé. Bit o honey on the attack but even that blows off. Extremely mousse after pouring and then almost goes still with only a few tiny bubbles.
NV Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (4/7/2019)
Good rosé and probably the best value in a grocer store. Salty minerals and crushed red fruit. Not to sweet with medium acidity. Can't go wrong in a pinch.
NV Guy Larmandier Champagne Premier Cru Brut Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (2/6/2019)
I really like this wine and it's a good value, especially in a rose. The fruit is bright and fresh with strawberry and cherry. While fruit forward there's a nice balance with the medium plus acidity. good stuff.
2006 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Millésimé Rosé - France, Champagne (12/30/2018)
Came across as a big house rose with rich sweet strawberry and light oxidation. Medium plus weight, could have used a pop of acidity to lighten it up.
I hand the wine to the waitress and said "take a big whiff and I'll blurt out a word." She sticks here nose in there and I fire off with "Playdough" and she starts laughing. Spot on. Wet clay would have been more politically correct. Very light in the mouth and gentle bubbles. Smooth. Read apple and a lemon. I wasn't that excited about this one because the others where so odd and intriguing.
NV Guy Larmandier Champagne Premier Cru Brut Rosé Vertus - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (9/16/2018)
I brought this to the grower event. Really enjoyed It and a nice quality at a good price. Unripe strawberry, medium acid, and a long finish. Assuming a lighter dosage than typical rosé. Definite rebuy.
NV Pierre Gerbais Champagne Rosé de Saignée - France, Champagne (9/16/2018)
Medium red color. Light candied nose which had me thinking it might be sweet. But not the case. This very lean with delicate fruit profile. Strong acidity with a sharp finish. A food Rosé.
NV Sabine Godmé Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (7/8/2018)
This was fantastic. I like Rosé but not sweeter sparklers and this showed a great balance. Definitely get the Pinot and still wine backbone. Very nice acidity. Price is great.
2012 Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Ambonnay Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (6/12/2018)
Crap, the palate was beginning to fatigue and I was in a "happy place" so the note taking on this wine was sparse at best. I'm pissed because it's such a great bottle. Light pink and light red fruit and then "scribble scribble scribble" and I was off story telling.
2012 Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Spécial Club Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (6/12/2018)
The color is a washed out pink, pushing peach. Love the touch of sour dough bread on the nose. It's light and nimble on the palate. Cherry is the core fruit here and rides right through the finish. Very nice summer sparkler.
NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée Rubis - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (6/12/2018)
I had this bottling a number of times and have one in the cellar. It's definitely one of my favorite Rosé. Light salmon color. The fruit is lean, candied strawberry and cherry. The raw dough note shows at the finish which is unique.
NV Gardet Champagne Brut Réserve Chigny-lès-Roses - France, Champagne (6/7/2018)
Very nice value here. Won't knock you socks off but it has all the pieces. Light gold color. There's a light rye bread and must aroma, interesting. Lemon rind and a big blast of citrus flavors. Medium weight and good complexity. Very long finish, excellent. There's also a light honeycomb note. Good stuff for the money.
2008 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Rosé Vintage - France, Champagne (1/1/2018) New Years 2018: Pink color. Mousse nose. Very light fruit, almost to a flaw, and high acidity. I wrote down "edgy" which is probably best translated to very angular. Just OK and probably not worth the tariff.
2010 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier Rubis - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (1/1/2018) New Years 2018: Light salmon color. Bubbles are almost non existent immediately after pouring. Light oxidation adds some depth and complexity. Light raspberry and fruit peel flavor and quite rich. Do these guys make anything I don't enjoy? Haven't found one yet.
NV Paul Dethune Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (11/19/2017)
Hey, why can't you drink rosé in November? Especially this wine to get things started. Love the balance of light brioche, red fruit, medium acidity and thoroughly refreshing. Excellent.
NV Hugues Godmé Champagne Grand Cru Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (10/22/2017)
Light red colored. Strawberry creme and medium acidity. Very nice and good value in a Rosé.
NV Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Shaman 13 Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (9/10/2017) Book Club (FMIII in the OC): Looking at FMIII previous note I'm wondering if this may have been oxidized. It looked and smelled like Pimms Cup, very herbal. Very unique. The fruit profile was like a brandy marinated cherry. Different, odd, and enjoyable.
NV Camille Savès Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (4/12/2017) Kutch 2015 Lineup (Maro Grill, Laguna Beach): Light pink color, as usual. Lots of green apple aromas. Really showing more of the chardonnay component of the wine this time. Plenty of sour dough/ toasted french bread flavor. Very good but interesting that over the years the bottles have varied yet all solid.
2008 Drappier Champagne Grande Sendrée Rosé - France, Champagne (2/26/2017)
I liked it better than FMIII. Very acid driven and the issue is the fruit, red berries, are very light in comparison to the acid so it "loses points" for lack of balance but I enjoyed it. Definitely a food wine as it will certainly lower your body PH.
2009 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Blancs La Bolorée - France, Champagne (12/11/2016) Book Club - Grand Finale: This is 100% petite blanc, quite unusual. The nose is red apple and white flower. Palate shows very light fruit with high acid, it's quite vibrant but really shows as thin. There's a hint of sweetnes towards the finish but not enough to make up for the light body. Average but enjoyable addition to the lineup.
NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (11/25/2016)
This is right in my wheelhouse for a rose. Delicate bubbles but quite the fizz when poured. Light salmon color. Attack is light strawberry and lemon immediately followed by an intriguing navel orange zest, perfume and pith, I can almost taste the oils. Very good complexity. Beautifully balanced palate and good acidity and minerals. Very dry as the Brut designation would imply.
This was well received as the other rosé in the tub lingered until this bottle was finished. Big fan.
1990 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Rosé La Grande Dame - France, Champagne (10/30/2016)
From a jeroboam, maybe imperial, regardless the bottle was enormous. It took two of us to remove the cork, one holding the bottle while the other worked the cork back and forth, around and around, and it was quite a struggle.
I'm not sure what a 1990 rosé is supposed to look like but this was burnt orange color, kind of cool. Slightly oxidized. Very light carbonation and medium plus viscosity. Light acid added to the almost still wine character. Peach fruit and sliced almond. I found it very enjoyable. Definitely not worth aging any longer, drink them up.
Looking at OLDWINES tasting note from a few years earlier you'd think we were drinking from the same bottle.
2008 Olivier Horiot Champagne Sève Rosé de Saignée En Barmont Les Riceys - France, Champagne (8/13/2016)
Very unique wine in both appearance and taste. Salmon colored but with a brassy tint. The primary fruit flavor is a distinct orange rind note. No signs of yeast or brioche. That rind flavor is tart and there's no sweet fruitiness. I enjoyed it for it's uniqueness. Definitely a food wine but more like a red.
NV Taittinger Champagne Nocturne Rosé Sec - France, Champagne (5/8/2016) Bubblefest - Taittinger Horizontal: Can't judge a book by the cover and at 17.5g/l who knew? Good stuff. The red fruit shows in this rosé, ripe strawberry and creamy mouthfeel. The bubbles are almost nonexistent, odd. I enjoyed this wine but it's at the edge of ripe scale for bubbles in my world. Another big crowd pleaser, I'd have no problem serving this on a hot day with a big chill.
2009 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier Rubis - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (12/6/2015) Gang of 5 Lady's Night: Very unique color, a burnt orange. Definitely not your typical rosé. Lychee nut and gentle bread aroma. Mild fruit flavors and high acidity. This didn't suck with the crab cakes with orange marmalade sauce.
NV Benoît Lahaye Champagne Rose de Maceration - France, Champagne (8/29/2015) Book Club (Patty's Place): Blind. Guessed champers. Bone dry, lean and acidic on the attack. Medium weight yet a foam mouthfeel. Cherry and raspberry as work here with a crisp clean finish. Very nice. Probably better served with a little more chill on it.
NV Paul Dethune Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (8/6/2015)
Sort of said everything on the last tasting note a few months ago so I won't try and get creative resulting in the same sentiment but I will add that I look forward to opening this bottle every time. Good summer grilling juice.
NV Paul Dethune Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (6/27/2015) Big Basin Tasting with Bradley (FMIII in the OC): I've had this before but I guess I didn't write a tasting note which is odd. I'm a rosé hound. Hot pink color, just screams summer. Smells like a fresh croissant and red currant fruit. Great mouthfeel and well balanced. Flavor is driven by sour cherry with a big hit of acid at the finish. Excellent.
Tons of CO2 kick off of this, thick foam when poured but settles down immediately. Don't stick your nose in there right away because the CO2 fills the glass and will choke you out. Crytal pink color boarding on violet. Nice. Muted red berry aromas. Palate is dry, high acid, light yeast, and a gentle strawberry and raspberry note. Great QPR rosé. Dosage 3-4g
NV Camille Savès Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (1/5/2015)
Different but still very enjoyable experience, maybe it's the food pairing, but didn't get as much salinity this time and good dose of baked bread flavor. Nimble mouthfeel with fine bubbles. light strawberry fruit. good stuff
NV Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Grand Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (12/14/2014)
Cherry notes seems to be the theme here. Seems very dry, which I like, and didn't pick up any bread notes which I expected. That's OK though, very enjoyable. (89 points)
NV Camille Savès Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (6/13/2014) Book Club - my turn (Hatam - Mission Viejo): Looks light cherry colored in the bottle but a soft pink when poured into the glass. Very fine bubbles and light strawberry nose but this was still cold when I poured it. Superb flavors from the acid on the attack, mid palate strawberry and apple, to the mineral notes at the finish. Very nimble mouthfeel. The salinity was very noticeable, added to the complexity and bang.
Beautiful pink sparkler, my favorite.
NV Montaudon Champagne Grande Rosé Brut - France, Champagne (3/16/2014)
Very unusual color, a brunt orange which resembled an aperol spritzer. Very fine and delicate bubbles. Light mouthfeel. I was a bit surprised by the flavor profile based on the color, it looked like a bruiser by quite the opposite. Feminine and not trying to make a statement in any direction. Paired with grill salmon and then I snuck in a grilled Nathan's hotdog with chili and onions. Meat's meat and a man has gotta eat.
NV Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (1/22/2012)
Pink/light peach color. Restrained nose; light strawberry. Palate of soft bubbles and mild strawberry. I really enjoy this with Vietnamese food because of the smooth flavor, not overly fruity. Medium/+ finish.
NV Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (10/7/2011)
Very average. Cherry presence mid palate is different. Slightly drying end. (86 points)
NV Gosset Champagne Grand Rosé Brut - France, Champagne (9/25/2011)
Pale apricot hue; not much on the nose. Peach, tart green apple, and tangerine fruit. Soft mouthfeel and zippy acid. Medium finish. Very enjoyable. (89 points)
NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (9/25/2011)
Looks salmon in color, go figure. Not a lot happening on the nose; light peach and cherry fruit. Mild yeast.
1996 Henriot Champagne Brut Millésimé Rosé - France, Champagne (1/30/2011)
Pink/copper color with soft bubbles. rose, strawberries, and strong bread and yeast palate. decent delicate wine.
I’m perfectly fine with the love they get. It saves more for me. I love everything they do. The whites as you mention are just as good as the rosés. Still waiting to try a Clos St. Hilaire one day.
