1989 Veuve Clicquot Cave Privee Rose

(Disgorged Oct 2008. Pinot Noir 67%/Chardonnay 33%. Bouzy Rouge 12.8%. Dosage 4g/l) Pale copper colour and not as obviously Burgundian Pinot Noir in style as the previous 1985 release or the two older rosés, the 1978 and 1975, we tried here (both made with a higher Bouzy Rouget component and showing a greater depth of colour). The vintage's ripe nature (potential alcohol was on a par with 1976 and in the last three decades has been surpassed only by 1990 and 2002) combined with a lower acidity (7.1g/l on average) led many to predict a limited future for the 1989, yet our sample proved remarkably fresh, with roasted coffee mocha notes, strawberry fruit on the initial palate and a meaty, savoury mid-palate. Gilles Fallowfield, Decanter.com