2004 Veuve Clicquot Vintage Reserve Rose

(67% pinot noir, 26% chardonnay and 7% pinot meunier; L5111635): Bright orange-pink. Smoke- and mineral-tinged aromas of raspberry, poached pear, rose oil and sweet butter. Toasty and broad but spry, offering vibrant red fruit and blood orange flavors that pick up a refreshingly bitter edge with aeration. Closes on a spicy note, with excellent focus and slow-building minerality. The fruit for this Champagne is sourced from up to 20 different premier and grand cru villages, including Ay and Verzenay for the pinot noir and Mesnil-sur-Oger for the chardonnay.

Virtually identical in encepagement to the corresponding white, but incorporating red Pinot from Bouzy, Clicquot’s 2004 Brut Rose offers abundance of fresh, juicy sour cherry accented with black tea and leather, a fine grain of tannin lending stimulation in a finish otherwise dominantly fruity and a bit extraneously sweet. I would plan on drinking this soon. Imported by Moet Hennessy, New York, NY; tel. (212) 251-8200

Still very young, with the crispest of red currant fruits. There are almond and quince flavors to go with the raspberry juice acidity. At this stage, the dosage is not full integrated, showing an awkward final sweetness. Age for 4–5 years.