Philipponnat : Royale Réserve Rosé Brut

The recent release of the NV Royale Réserve Rosé Brut is based on the 2013 vintage and blends 75% Pinot Noir with 20% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Meunier. Disgorged in September 2017 with a dosage of nine grams per liter, the wine displays a lovely pale salmon color and a very delicate Pinot flavor with a touch of mocha and white flowers. Round and very delicate on the palate, this is an intense, well-structured and persistent rosé whose base is one-third from a saignée of red Coteaux Champenois Pinot Noir.

A graceful Champagne, with a chalky underpinning and lacy texture supporting ripe strawberry and raspberry fruit, star anise, apple blossom and salted almond notes. Lightly juicy and fresh through to the lingering finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged March 2023. Drink now through 2028. 13,000 cases made, 200 cases imported.

Aromas of redcurrant, blood orange and orange blossom are complemented by poached strawberry and baking spices. The palate is complex, featuring balanced fruit, bright acidity and a silky texture. Expressive and characterful.

A freshness and drive to this with sliced strawberry and lime with some peach blossom undertones. Full-bodied with lovely creamy texture and a bright finish. Hints of cotton candy. Very polished and focused. From the 2019 vintage. 69% pinot noir, 29% chardonnay and 2% meunier. 27% reserve wine aged in barrel. Disgorged in January 2023. 9 g/l dosage. Drink now.

(75% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Meunier; 9 g/l dosage; disgorged in March, 2014): Pale orange. Fresh red berries, tangerine, sweet butter and candied rose on the highly perfumed nose. Silky and expansive, offering juicy red berry and floral pastille flavors supported by an undercurrent of chalky minerals. Sappy and sharply focused on the minerally, floral finish, which hangs on with excellent tenacity.

Light salmon pink. Inviting, pleasant aroma, notes of cherry and wild berries along with lemon and biscuit. The pleasing fruit expression on the palate is cushioned by ripe acidity. Very fine mousse, long echo with savoury nuances.

Made from 73% Pinot Noir, 24% Chardonnay, and the rest Meunier, the NV Champagne Royale Reserve Brut Rosé is based on the 2018 vintage and has 9 grams per liter dosage. The nose is ripe and fleshy, with strawberry, cherry, and crushed roses. It is rounded and fluffy in its mousse, though it is dry, with raspberry, almond, and a silky texture on the finish. This is certainly a crowd pleaser to drink now or over the next ten years as an aperitif, on its own, or at the end of the night.

Based on the 2019 vintage with 27% reserve wines kept in oak barrels, the Royale Reserve Brut Rosé is a rosé assemblage of 69% Pinot Noir, 29% Chardonnay, and 2% Pinot Meunier, with around 7% still Pinot Noir, a small percentage of which is saignée wine taken off at the start of the red fermentation. Salmon-pink in color with a velvety mousse, it fills the glass with flamboyant, fruity, and fresh aromas of raspberries, red currant, quince, dried blood orange slices, and hints of honey. Medium-bodied, the palate has a creamy texture rounded out by succulent red fruit and lifted by vivacious, balancing acidity that leads to a joyful, lingering finish. Disgorged in March 2023 and finished with a nine-gram-per-liter dosage.

Refined fruit, superb length, at its best.

Darker in color than many rosés, this Champagne is also rich, with a tight texture that is balanced by zesty acidity and ripe red and citrus fruits. The wine is full-bodied, its concentration impressive. Drink now.