Rose' Sparkling Wines and Champagnes

[Jason Perlow]

I fully admit to liking this stuff, and I find that they are highly underappreciated as serious wines.

Current Favorites:

Egly Ouriet Ambonnay Rose ($40, but hard to find)

Argyle Rose (hard to find but well worth it at about $30 a bottle)

Dom Perignon Rose vintage (very expensive but I feel its actually their best wine if you're going to drop $200 or more on a bottle)

Any rose Cavas or Proseccos or Cremants of note?

[Mark Sommelier]

Bollinger Grande Année Rosé 1995 is quite delicious and worth seeking out.

[Brad Ballinger]

Any rose Cavas or Proseccos or Cremants of note?

I've never seen any rose cava or cremant wines, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. The Cava DO in Spain likely has regulations on grapes to be included. I know Pinot Noir is allowed, but I don't know if they make any rose wines.

Prosecco is a white grape. There are even still wines labeled prosecco.

My favorite rose Champagnes are Billecart-Salmon, Vilmart Cuvee Rubis, Laurent-Perrier, Jacquesson Signature Rose, Egly-Ouriet, and Fleury.

[John W.]

Any rose Cavas or Proseccos or Cremants of note?

We have a cremant d'Loire on our list now by Yves Lambert. 100% Cab Franc, smells like it too. I find it to be utterly drinkable.

[Carema]

Marques de Monistol makes a rose Gran Reserva Brut Cava (which thanks to y'all I now know is NOT vat fermented) from monastrell & pinot noir. A skunky little bugger that-

I carry a lovely dry Moscota Rosa Brut from Isola Augusta made from (what else?) Moscata Rosa grapes!

They recommend (this from back label) to serve with crusty sweets or jam tarts. Apparently the food pairing is lost in translation. In any event, crusty sweet in hand or no, its great. and only 14 dollars. Full Champagne method too, like Cava.

[cdh]

Rose Champagne has been a hit at the past few New Years parties I've supplied with champagne. R. Dumont et Fils' Rose has been the most well received.

Billecart-Salmon's Rose is yummy as well, but I'd take the Dumont over it.

To expand into other pink fizzy wines that aren't champagne, I've tried the Michel Freres Rose Cremant de Bourgogne, and it was quite nice too... to my tastes at least. But I love pinot noir based fizzy wines, and would always pick a rose over a blanc de noirs, and a blanc de noirs over a blanc de blancs any day.

There are people who just don't like the stuff, however... People claim to taste artificial berry flavoring in the roses... also claim there is a bitter aftertaste to them. I perceive neither, but I also have taste buds that love campari and espresso and pernod too, so there are very few flavors that go beyond the pale for me.

[docsconz]

Veuve Clicquot vintage roses have been outstanding. I particularly remember the 1986 vintage as being volutptuous

[Jason Perlow]

Prosecco is a white grape.  There are even still wines labeled prosecco.

Yeah, I'm thinking other types of Spumante.

I did have a rose cava as recently as 2 weeks ago but I totally forgot what producer it was. It had an insanely red color to it though. Quite drinkable.

[bigwino]

Pierre Sparr Cremant d'Alsace is a beauty of a sparkling rose. A deal at about $15 per bottle, too.

[KatieLoeb]

Jason:

You beat me to the punch on the first post with the Egly-Ouriet Ambonnay Rose. Damn that stuff is tasty! The Laurent-Perrier is also a fave.

If we're including RED sparkiling wines in this discussion, I can't not mention how much I love Brachetto d'Acqui, even though it's sweet and meant to accompany dessert. Hell - I'd just have it AS dessert.

[madziast]

Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Premier CruRose NV is quite nice. has anyone tried their '96 Palmes d'Or Rose? comments?

[Carema]

I am here to save all mucho cash!

My father opened the Billecart Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Rose 1997 (who knew, was Billecart the only one declaring that year?). Blech. What a load of shite. Dirty like icky children's chalk laying in the mud and really unappealing in every way. I asked my pops if it was off; he didn't seem to think so but at $825/case WHOLESALE I will be saving my customers a lot of dough by talking them out of this monstrosity. It did however serve as an allright base for a French 75 (thank god we had good gin and fresh oranges laying around!)

[Craig Camp]

It is worth noting that there are two types of Rose Champagne (Champagne, Champagne)

1. Gets its color by the addition of a little pinot noir wine.

2. Gets its color through a brief fermentation on pinot noir grape skins in the classic rose method.

There are decided differences in flavor with the first method being more delicate and similar to regular cuvees while the second gives more robust, complex and pinot noir flavors.

The bigger commercial houses tend to use the first as it is much easier to exactly control the color and the process.

I have never seen complete list of who does which in Champagne so it might be interesting to start one here. If you know how a house produces their Rose list it here.

[Craig Camp]

Bollinger Gran Annee Rose

The Grande Année Rosé is the result of the blend between about ten barrels of Grande Année and some "coteaux champenois rouges "(still red wine from Champagne coming from the great village of Aÿ). This addition of red wine to the blend will give the wine the rosé colour as well as subtle fruit aromas, extra body and richness.

[Craig Camp]

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rosé 1996 is made of 70% Pinot Noir (100% grands crus), part of which (13%) is red wine, and comes from the vineyards of Bouzy. 30% Chardonnay grapes from the vineyards of the Côte des Blancs (100% grands crus) complete this blend, giving it finesse and freshness.

Only first pressing wines are used.

Storage for 5 years in the cellars has refined the fruity aromas of this vintage and softened its generous acidity.

[Craig Camp]

BILLECART SALMON CUVEE ELISABETH-SALMON ROSE 1997

Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is a blend of 50 % Pinot Noir. In addition to this, a small percentage of red wine is included within the Pinot Noir content from our vineyards in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. The pale pink colour has light orange tints and it's bubles are fine and persistent. This remarkable Champagne is both elegant and full bodied and has smooth nose dominated by soft fruit. Presented in a bottle designed in 1818, it's label is a replica of the original one created in 1968.

[winebill]

From the Laurent Perrier's website

Laurent Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut

Made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes from a total of ten 100% rated Grands Crus villages, this champagne gets its glorious pink colour and rounded red fruit flavours from a process know as 'saigneé' in which the skins of the grapes are left in contact with the juice for three days.

The grapes are sorted and destemmed before going into the vat. Laurent-Perrier’s

experience in making red ‘Coteaux Champenois’ wines ensures a perfect

maceration phase. This can last for up to three days and gives the wine its colour,

as well as the full range of Pinot Noir aromas. Unlike most rosé champagnes, the

base of Laurent-Perrier’s Cuvée Rosé Brut is made by a technique known as

‘saignée’, or ‘bleeding’, rather than simply by blending red and white wines. The

wine is aged for a minimum of four years and is manually disgorged.

Grand Siècle

‘Alexandra Rose’ 1990

Grape varieties: Over 80% Pinot Noir and less than 20% Chardonnay

Growths: Only 100% rated Grands Crus, such as Ambonnay, Bouzy, Louvois,

Tours-sur-Marne, Verzenay, Mailly for the Pinot Noir, Avize, Cramant, Chouilly,

and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger for the Chardonnay.

Grapes from the best single vineyard parcels are sorted and destemmed before

vinification. This rare wine results from an original technique for blending

Chardonnay with Pinot Noir which has macerated for three days. It allows the

two varieties to release their full range of aromas. Ageing lasts at least six years or

more, depending on the characteristics of the vintage.

[hollywood]

Jason, though it's not a rose, you might want to check Domaine St. Michelle's Blanc de Noir. Not bad.

Edited January 4, 2004 by hollywood (log)

[LOS]

The Henri Billiot rose NV is great stuff, and not too spendy ($35 full list or so last time I saw it).

[beans]

If we're including RED sparkiling wines in this discussion, I can't not mention how much I love Brachetto d'Acqui, even though it's sweet and meant to accompany dessert.  Hell - I'd just have it AS dessert.

I do love the Argyle Rose, and haven't ventured much higher than that price range for Rose sparklers. I, too, have to admit I enjoy the Brachetto.

What a nice list of recommendations to hunt down for 2004.

edit: clarity

Edited January 5, 2004 by beans (log)

[ctgm]

Ruinart Rose is one of my favourites.

I cannot agree with some of the posters here who think that Laurent Perrier NV Rose is good. Muton dressed as lamb.

As for adding red wine to make a rose, does anyone know how often Buzy rouge is used or is the red wine from the Pinots used in the Champagne process? Also which is used, Noir, Meunier or both?

[DaleW]

My favorite rosé Champagne has been the 1990 Pol Roger. The 1993 wasn't as good IMHO, though (I haven't tried the '95 yet).

The Michel Freres cremant that CDH mentions is indeed good QPR.

Katie mentioned Brachetto. I like too, though I find the Banfi (only one I see ) overpriced at $20 - a fun simple wine that should be $10-12 for me to buy. Another sweetish (though not as sweet as the Brachetto) rosé that's really quite good is the Renedart-Fâche Vin du Bugey Cerdon. Cool, fun, wine.

[Boris_A]

My favourite:

J. Lassalle, Champagne Brut Rosé NV, Réserve des Grandes Années.

As mostly with Mme. Lassalle cuvées: not so bone dry.

Bracchetto: fantastic dessert sparkler. Simply beautiful to look at.

Very fashionable in Italy, I guess. A grower told me that over the last 10 years, production is ten-fold and grape prices are still about 3-4 times higher.

[KatieLoeb]

Katie mentioned Brachetto. I like too, though I find the Banfi (only one I see ) overpriced at $20 - a fun simple wine that should be $10-12 for me to buy. Another sweetish (though not as sweet as the Brachetto) rosé that's really quite good is the Renedart-Fâche Vin du Bugey Cerdon. Cool, fun, wine.

The Brachetto I had been purchasing was the Marenco (sp?) at about $21 in Pennsylvania. Really rich raspberry flavor, garnet red and bubbly in the glass and the most perfect thing in the world with a piece of flourless chocolate torte .

[GordonCooks]

I have some 97 Argyle and Schramsberg Brut Rose as well as a single of 85 Dom P. Brut Rose. The Schramsberg is very tasty but the Argyle is a little too assertive on the nose. I'm holding the Dom for a special occasion.