Rosé Champagne
Rosé champagne commands a significant premium compared to its white brother, so the fact that we found some really great wines at decent price points was testimony to both our judges’ diligence and the skill of the winemakers. There was a lot of good wine here.
Not all of it, fortunately, was as expensive as Taittinger’s sublime 2007 Comtes de Champagne, which sidled onto the Gold List alongside its white 2008 brother. But to prove that sec sells, Taitt also backed this up with a Gold for Nocturne.
No surprise, perhaps, that that bit of extra dosage went down so well. If there was a criticism from our judges (and there wasn’t much) it’s that some of the (unsuccessful) entries were a bit hard and lacking in joie.
From The Tasting Teams
‘From the low point to the high point, these were good reflections of the typicity of non-vintage champagne. There was good quality for the price point, with ripe red fruit – very elegant. They show the potential for rosé coming from Champagne – its terroir and freshness.’ Andre Luis Martins, team leader
‘I was generally impressed by the entry-point wines, with some nice surprises in that price bracket. The top-end wines were very elegant, well-structured offerings.’ Gary Newborough, The Aristologist
‘Our flight seemed quite young and high in acidity. They were not wines that would make me smile, which is what I want from a rosé – generally something easy with red fruit, not trying too hard.’ Nigel Lister, St. Swithins Wine Shippers
‘The cheaper ones showed well, both in terms of value and the interest of the wines.’ Andres Ituarte, Tamarind Collection
‘The good options really stood out for their value for money; those a little higher in price often weren’t any better.’ Sam Weatherill, Etch. by Steven Edwards
‘Rosé champagne is growing as a category and more people are looking for it.’ Andre Luis Martins, Cavalry and Guards Club
‘Standouts were the wines at the lower to middle end of the range. They gave a lot more.’ Hamish Lawrie Greening, Twenty Seven by Jamie Rogers