EVERYTHING’S COMING UP ROSE
13 January 2012
What is it about pink champagne which makes it so special?
Most people love champagne, and in particular, rosé, but have you ever
considered why? Champagne Gosset, the oldest wine house in Champagne
Why choose rosé? For a start it looks pretty in the glass
and there are numerous shades of pink, ranging from the slight hint of a tint,
through to strikingly dark, almost mauve in tone. Maybe rosé is particularly popular with
lovers due to the colour’s associations with blushing? Perhaps it is the depth of flavour, often
reminiscent of fresh strawberries, raspberries or cherries? Brut rosé can be just as dry as its white
counterpart; it is fruitier but just as good, and, by some, considered even
better.
How is it made? There are two ways of producing rosé
champagne; by blending in a small proportion of still red wine, or by the
saignée (or ‘bleeding’) method, where
the wine is simply allowed to have more contact with the red grape skins than
in normal champagne production. The former
method is more usual, and that is the method used by Champagne Gosset; a blend
of the finest red wine from the region
is added to the white champagne to produce the rosé.
Champagne Gosset’s rosés are both particularly special and
ideal for all celebrations, from weddings and anniversaries, to Valentine’s
Day, when sales of rosé champagnes and
sparking wines tend to soar. Rosé champagne
is made by blending juice from the Pinot Noir grape to the white grape juice.
In the case of Grand Rosé, the balance is 35 per cent Pinot Noir, with 58 per
cent Chardonnay and the remaining 7 per cent red wine made of Grand Cru Pinot
Noir of the region (from the local villages of Bouzy and Ambonnay). In the glass, Grand Rosé is a delicate pale
salmon-pink, but on the nose a veritable ‘explosion’ of strawberries – fresh
and the finest strawberry jam. In the
mouth, it is well balanced with a voluptuous strawberry flavour giving a hint
of sweetness. Retailing for around £55 a
bottle, a bottle of Grand Rosé makes a very special Valentine’s gift.
Champagne Gosset Celebris 2003 Rosé Extra Brut is 68 per
cent Chardonnay and 32 per cent Pinot Noir Grand Cru (also including 7 per cent
red wines from Ambonnay and Bouzy). It
is very dry but deliciously fruity and true to the character of all Gosset
champagnes, there is no malolactic fermentation in the production process. It has a delicate, luminous pale pink hue and
displays a spectacular constant stream of thousands of tiny bubbles. On the nose it is more complex than the Grand
Rosé, giving fresh, pure scents of freshly picked red berry fruits, with floral
notes. A burst of rose petal jam and red
berry coulis titillate the taste buds, developing into a full, rounded flavour,
leaving a soothing aftertaste, with notes of aniseed and sweet liquorice, and a
persistent hint of vanilla. Retailing at
around £120 a bottle, Champagne Gosset Celebris 2003 Rosé is perfect for that very
special occasion (or person).
Champagne Gosset is available from most independent fine
wine shops and retailers including Berry Bros, Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges,
Harrods and Harvey Nichols. It is
distributed in the UK
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