Charles Heidsieck : Vintage Rosé 2012

Disgorged with nine grams per liter dosage in 2021, the 2012 Brut Rosé is a blend of 62% Pinot Noir and 38% Chardonnay sourced from 11 villages. Nine percent red wine from Les Ryceys has been added. Offering up aromas of blueberry, wild strawberry, pomegranate, almond and spring flowers, the palate is energetic with lively acids, perfectly balanced and juicy, but it already exudes freshness and clarity that lead to a finish with a light grace note of gastronomic bitterness. It will drink at its peak in four to six years’ time.

This is the same as the 2012 blanc except for the 9% red wine addition. It’s a later disgorgement, though, and the effect is noticeable – it hasn’t yet developed all the patisserie richness of its sibling, instead seeming detailed and more subtle, with peach, raspberry and quince flavours sitting alongside a gentle praline richness. Touches of dark spice and toasted nuts are creeping in, too. Refined, long and balanced, this is approachable, succulent and subtly layered.

A very elegant vintage rosé with wonderfully expressive red berry, blood orange and rhubarb aromas. Complex and finely nuanced, this glides over your palate in spite of the healthy structure. Long finish that's driven by the fine tannins and chalky minerality. The same basic blend as the 2012 vintage champagne from this house, but with 9% of red wine. Drink or hold.

Fragrant, with wafts of roasted nuts and toasted brioche — a profile that underscores the palate’s flavors of steeped raspberry, peach skin, ground coffee, vanilla and candied mandarin orange peel. Reveals vibrant, well-integrated acidity, which keeps this rich version trim and focused and drives the long, fine-textured finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Disgorged 2021. Drink now through 2035. 125 cases imported.

Impressively young, this Champagne also has great maturity. This balance and tension gives it crisp fruit along with touches of spice. The wine, aged for 10 years on its lees, is now ready to drink.