NV Larmandier-Bernier Rose

Pure 2021, though it's not labeled, the NV Champagne Premier Cru Rose de Saignée Extra Brut offers the purity of framboise and is so on point, with a zesty freshness. It's a delightful rosé, especially if they can maintain the freshness. Offering notes of roses, raspberries, and fresh almond, this is a step above others I have had. Dosage is only 2 grams per liter.

Rosé de Saignée is laced with cranberry, orange peel, cinnamon and dried flowers. It's a gorgeous, seductive Rosé, a Champagne that deftly marries the textural richness that was once such a focus in this bottling with the greater sense of vibrancy that informs today's wines. Clean mineral accents shape the deceptively understated finish. The blend is 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Gris, an unusual combination that works quite well here. (AG)

Disgorged in February 2024 with two grams per liter dosage, Larmandier’s 2021 vintage-based NV Extra-Brut Rosé de Saignée derives from the estate’s oldest vines in Vertus, mostly east-facing. Lighter in structure and with a less-saturated hue compared to the 2020 rendition, it was macerated for two and a half days and features higher proportion of Pinot Gris (about 15% to 20%). Vinified in 500-liter barrels, it reveals a bouquet of redcurrant, orange zest and cranberry mingling with spices. Medium-bodied and precise, marked by the vintage's acidic signature and concluding with a long, perfumed finish, it’s one of the more delicate editions of this cuvée—particularly when compared to its immediate predecessor’s exuberant aromatics and phenolic structure.