This is a excellent, interesting and very distinctive wine. As BrigCampbell says, it seems extraordinary that this is only 32% pinot noir.
Initially there is a intense and complex nose with herbal notes, some cherries, a bit of strawberries and cream, some minerality... The palate is initially has all of that and is in some way perhaps a bit over the top, but after a while it settles down a bit but is still rather hard to describe. Certainly some red fruit, perhaps a hint of blood orange, occasionally I get a hint of cream, and a crisp, quite long and slightly drying finish.
I'm struggling to do this wine justice with the TN. It's not a chugger, it's a complex wine to be sipped and savoured, and excellent QPR for the ~US$43 that I paid. (92 points)
NV Laherte Frères Champagne Rosé de Meunier Extra Brut - France, Champagne (21/07/2023)
This is a very nice fizz, unusually in my experience a three-way blend of rosé de maceration (30%), white wine (60% of which 40% from reserves) and red wine (10%).
Disgorged 3/2022; dosage 2.5g/l.
In the glass it has a lovely orangey salmon colour.
The nose has minerality, blood orange, wild strawberries, herbal notes - great complexity with each sniff finding new nuances.
The palate largely follows the nose: complex, crisp, mineral, but with great fruit notes (again the blood orange). The finish is rather drying.
With air the wine evolves, with a bit more weight of fruit (wild strawberries, redcurrants) on the palate and the dryingness of the finish moderating somewhat.
Overall this is an excellent an interesting rosé which is definitely a repeat buy for me. (92 points)
So this batch got 4 years on the lees rather than 3 years for the earlier batch. The result is pretty similar to my recollection of the previous bottles: perhaps a little more vinous red fruit character and a little less of that granite minerality. But equally good.
This is excellent with Asian food and light-medium spices. Perhaps a little too vinous as an aperitif for many palates. (92 points)
My impression is that this has evolved nicely since my previous TN 18 months ago. It's now immediately approachable, but still with that core of blood orange, still perhaps a hint of blackberry, a little bit of a sweeter fruit like peach, and a chalky minerality that lingers on the finish.
This is now a really wonderful champagne. Grab some if you can find any bottles still. At the ~US$55 that I paid these were stunning QPR also. (94 points)
I tend to divide roses into grower vs big house, especially because I think growers tend to find rose harder. Many make their roses saignee, and I find those much more difficult. In some cases they end up far too goopy for my liking. That said:
Selosse makes a fabulous rose, my favorite of his wines. Egly’s rose, made from the same vines as Selosse (Selosse gets the pinot for his rose from Egly) is also fabulous, but I find it leaner in its youth - it really needs time. A recent 2014 disgorgement was spectacular though. At its best, I think Prevost makes arguably the most distinctive rose in Champagne, and the 12 and 13 are still some of the best roses I’ve ever had. When they’re not on, though, they’re…not on. A true grower champagne. I also love Vilmart’s Emotion (the 2014 is especially great), the recent vintages of Bereche’s Campania Remensis. Savart’s entry level rose is quite nice. Chartogne Taillet as well.
Of the big houses, I think Billecart’s Elisabeth Salmon is fabulous. I like the Comtes, but prefer the regular Comtes, and have never really warmed up to Krug’s rose. I do think there are lots of houses that do pretty good roses though - Laurent Perrier and Bollinger roses are pretty good even if usually unspectacular. I’ve had some really nice older bottles of Ruinart’s rose as well.
Obviously the Cristal rose is spectacular, but it’s a bit of a red herring (pun intended) in this discussion - the Cristal rose is effectively a tete de cuvee of a tete de cuvee - it’s made from the 4 best parcels used to make Cristal.
Everyone has their own price point, and Roederer certainly doesn’t need my help to sell their wines. That said, about 6 months ago (I think) a few of us, including several WB members had a big Cristal retrospective going back to the late 80s (over 30 bottles in all), and to me the 08 and 13 rose were already reference point wines. There’s no question they’re expensive, but I genuinely think that in the best vintages it’s some of the best wine being made in the world today. Given that type of quality, I don’t think the pricing is especially unreasonable compared to Burgundy, Bordeaux or even Napa, the Rhone, etc.
This isn’t of course to say that it’s not expensive in absolute terms (it is still a bottle of wine), but these things are all relative
Not going to make you forget your favorite champagne, but Pere Mata vintage trepat is very good cava and you’ll feel like a genius having paid $20 for it.
This is an interesting topic of discussion that has been bantered about in the Champagne thread from time to time. Warren and I probably lean away from rose champagnes, generally speaking, while others prefer them or find that great roses can be the pinnacle of sparkling wines. But rose bubbly encompasses about as many variations and styles as saying “why don’t I drink more pinot noir?”
Try Vilmart Emotion. Gosset Celebris. Laherte’s rose de saignee. Vouette Sorbee Fidele. Deutz Amour de Deutz Rose is pretty affordable. Try Courtin’s as well. Billecart Salmon’s Cuvee Elizabeth Salmon is among my favorites, striking a perfect balance and presenting better value than some other grand marque roses. For an easy wine to find, try Laurent Perrier Cuvee Rose. Paul Bara is another accessible and pleasurable rose.
I think that 2008 Cristal Rose is generally considered among the greatest Cristals ever produced, and probably one of the greatest roses in recent history. Honestly I’ve through about buying cases of it as an investment to resell in 10 years. I think it’s going to be one of those wines that folks in the champagne game chase after for decades.
Vilmart emotion (though not the NV)
Bereche Remensis
Taittinger CDC (though I usually prefer the less expensive BdB)
Drappier Non Dose (but not their roses with dosage )
Marquet Ambonnay (several of my friends disagree)
Marie Courtin Indulgence
Probably Selosse, I assume it’s as good as it was,back when I could afford it
I was interested to see the Billiot rec, I used to love that but it fell off my radar and I haven’t tried it in about 20 years
Saw it mentioned 2-3 times above - Paul Bara NV Grand Rose. Maybe not the level of those costing 2-4 x, but then it doesn’t cost 2-4 times as much.
Have drank a bunch of the releases (750 & 375) from the past 5-7 years and I always get pleasure from them as a great food champagne.
