Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé NV

Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé NVProduct Information: This is a particularly vibrant blend, where lively red fruit is the star. It's everything you love out of classic Veuve, plus a 12% splash of red wine from vineyards in the Montagne de Reims, Champagne. Pinot noir takes a confident lead in a fleshy and full mid palate which coasts into a long finish with a precise line of acidity. There's an appealing grapefruit hue, enticing aromas of crunchy cherries, strawberries, almonds,

Product Information:

This is a particularly vibrant blend, where lively red fruit is the star. It's everything you love out of classic Veuve, plus a 12% splash of red wine from vineyards in the Montagne de Reims, Champagne. Pinot noir takes a confident lead in a fleshy and full mid-palate which coasts into a long finish with a precise line of acidity. There's an appealing grapefruit hue, enticing aromas of crunchy cherries, strawberries, almonds, pastries and honey draw you in. The palate mirrors this with with a striking balance of acidity, fruit, and chalk minerals. Finish is long and elegant.

Maker:

Barbe Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin was born in 1777, the daughter of a textile manufacturer in Reims, Champagne. Widowed at the age of only 27, she took control of her own destiny and became one of the first modern entrepreneurs. In an era when women were excluded from the business world, she dared to assume the head of the company founded by her father-in-law in 1772, a role she undertook with passion and determination. Her creativity and lust for innovation led to many firsts in Champagne: the first known vintage champagne; the invention of the riddling table; the first known blended rosé champagne. Three inventions that revolutionised champagne making and were widely adopted by producers, becoming the basis of modern champagne production. Madame Clicquot made her name into a brand of excellence and had it shine the world over. Her formidable contributions earned her the nickname of "la grande dame of Champagne".

The entire history of the Veuve Clicquot House is marked by mythical wines, all of which respect the demand for quality that was the force that drove Madame Clicquot. True to this heritage, the House is proud of its motto: "Only one quality, the finest." A short lineage of just 11 Cellar Masters has led this quest for quality, thereby ensuring the continuity of the Veuve Clicquot style: strength and complexity. Veuve Clicquot prides itself on excellence and quality. Only the juice from the cuvée (the first and most noble pressing) is used.

Vineyard:

Grapes from 50 to 60 different crus, or growing areas, are used to produce the Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label: 50-55% Pinot Noir ensures the structure so typical of the House wines. 15% to 20% Pinot Meunier rounds out the blend. 28% to 33% Chardonnay provides the elegance and sophistication essential to a perfectly balanced wine. A high proportion of priceless reserve wines (between 25% and 40%) ensures the continuity of the House style.

95% of the Veuve Clicquot vines are classified as Grands or Premiers Crus while the latter only represents a quarter of the total surface of vines in the entirety of the Champagne region. Each plot’s grape variety is determined by assessing its soil, climate and exposure. The Veuve Clicquot vineyard is comprised of 47% Chardonnay grapes, 36% Pinot Noir and 17% Meunier. The Clicquot vines are mostly situated on gentle sloping hills allowing the vines to benefit from shallow soil and a maximum exposure to sunlight. Since its foundation, the Maison of Veuve Clicquot has also established a strong partnership with its fellow winegrowers in Champagne. These providers of grapes and white wines help insure the consistent quality of the Veuve Clicquot wines. Integrated pest management (also known as lutte raisonnée) is a key part of sustainable agriculture. It includes setting thresholds at which action needs to be taken (e.g. if pest populations reach a certain level and affect too much the quality of our grapes), identifying and monitoring pests, always setting up preferably preventative measures, and evaluating and implementing control options if needed only. To preserve this high-quality terroir, Maison Veuve Clicquot is committed to using no herbicides in 2018, with the proportion of phytosanitary products decreasing every year. Transitioning to a sustainable viticulture and soil resilience philosophy.

Nose - Cherries, Almond, Buttery Pastry
Refined and pretty rosé, in an appealingly fruit-focused style of raspberries, red cherries and strawberries. A reductive overtone lends a note of balsamic complexity

Palate - Cherry, Orange Peel, Ginger Bread
Pinot noir takes a confident lead in a fleshy and full mid-palate which coasts into a long finish of accurate line. This is a particularly vibrant blend in which lively red fruit presence is the champion, and lees age has contributed more in texture than secondary complexity. 

Finish - Ginger, Grapefruit, Toast
Grapefruit granita and ground ginger, with a light and lingering toast note.

A classic of it’s kind, this is soft with a relatively high dosage while also having a fine balance between ripeness and crisper fresh character. The bottling is ready to drink. - Bettance + Desseauve, 95 Points.

This is a lesson in just what a difference 12% red wine can make in a blend, particularly in the hands of one of the finest red wine outfits in all of Champagne. In its pretty medium salmon guise, this is an elegant, refined and pretty rosé, in an appealingly fruit-focused style of raspberries, red cherries and strawberries. A reductive overtone lends a note of balsamic complexity. True to the Veuve mandate, pinot noir takes a confident lead in a fleshy and full mid-palate which coasts into a long finish of accurate line. This is a particularly vibrant blend in which lively red fruit presence is the champion, and lees age has contributed more in texture than secondary complexity. Tannins are impeccably handled, leaving energetic acidity to define the structure, uninterrupted by well-integrated dosage, making for another particularly refined and distinguished Clicquot Rosé. - Tyson Stelzer, 92 Points.

Grapefruit colour with aromas of cherries, strawberries, almonds, pastries and honey. Creamy and rounded, with a medium body and soft bubbles. All nicely integrated. Blend of majority pinot noir with chardonnay and meunier, with 12% red wine. 10g/L. Drink now. - James Suckling.

The Finer Details
Style - Champagne
Varietal - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier
Country - France
Region - Champagne
Vintage - Non-Vintage
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 12.5%