The fact that I’m not generally a huge fan of rosé champagne is borne out by the lack of pink fizz in my own cellar. Given a choice the same money will mostly buy you a far more interesting bottle of vintage champagne, in my view. I’m particularly attracted to the more winey, Burgundy style Pinot Noir driven pinks that age attractively and work surprisingly well with food, particularly things like duck or pigeon.
In this camp I’d include Veuve Clicquot vintage rosés, particularly the Cave Privée range, examples of which I will be tasting again in Reims in mid-March. Of the wines I’ve tasted recently out of the widely available non-vintages, Lanson showed well, with some creamy texture as well as bright fruit while Henriot’s very enjoyable rosé has a bit more mid-palate weight. Bruno Palliard’s Première Cuvée and Billecart’s regular non-vintage pink are classy, delicate styles but in this miserable weather I want something a little more spicy and savoury.
If I had any of Philipponnat’s Rosé Réserve I’d open that. Charles Heidsieck’s Brut Réserve rosé is another lovely wine and I may have a release with some extra bottle age that will only make it better, in my book.
As it is, this evening’s drinking will necessarily be dictated by what I’m about to find in the cellar. It’s likely to be a choice between any Charles Heidsieck I have, Clicquot vintages from the 90s, Bollinger non-vintage, Nicolas Feuillatte’s Palmes d’Or Rosé 2005 (although I’d prefer to keep that longer) and Michel Drappier’s Grand Sendrée rosé 2006, which was probably the best pink champagne I’ve drunk recently (I had some on 14 Feb 2016 giving it 95pts) and certainly the bottle I enjoyed most. I may also have a Jacquesson Terres Rouge saignée pink tucked away somewhere. But sadly none of Phillipe Brun’s appropriately named ‘Romance’ or ‘4 Nuits’ rosé de saignée to go with our chocolate pudding.