2010 Champagne Barons de Rothschild Rare Vintage
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Exceptionally lavishly packaged (I don't think they could say 'no trees were involved in the making of this box') with a beautiful tiny, silver-edged booklet in a pretty little envelope. Made from Chardonnay grapes from the grands crus of Avize, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. Disgorged in November 2018 and given a 'low' dosage. Vinification in 20-hl temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats and a small proportion of wooden barrels. Alcoholic fermentation by individual plot. Just the cuvée. Extended, nine months’ ageing on fine lees in small vats with regular bâtonnage. Late bottling in July. Bottle-ageing on the lees: eight years minimum. Dosage: 4–5 g/l with at least a year's further ageing after disgorgement. Production: 6,240 bottles Very distinctive. In the smart accompanying booklet there is no mention of oak in the making of this wine but it tastes as though the base wine underwent something quite unusual. Either that or the much-vaunted liqueur de dosage. Now I have at last found the technical sheet on the producer's website (see second half of details above) I see that a portion of the base wine did see oak. Very dense and fine. A champagne that demands attention. Firm and upright with many layers of flavour. Proper superior champagne. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2010 Rare Vintage from Barons de Rothschild is a stunning Champagne right out of the gate. Citrus, floral and mineral notes literally explode out of the glass in a vibrant, wonderfully deep vintage Champagne that beautifully expresses the character of Chardonnay from the Côtes de Blancs. The 2010 is a blend of fruit from Avize, Cramant, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, all Grand Cru villages. It was fermented in a combination of stainless steel and oak and then saw relatively long élevage of around ten months prior to being bottled in July 2011. Dosage was around 4 grams per liter. Production is just over 6,000 bottles, which is tiny for the region. The 2010 Rare Vintage is an especially vinous Champagne that is also a perfect example of a trend I have written about over these last few years, and that is large houses quietly making wines that expose the more adventurous style often seen in the most progressive of the grower domaines. (Originally published in August 2020)
About the producer
Domaines Barons de Rothschild is the overarching group of estates owned by the Rothschild family of Ch. Lafite Rothschild.