2005 Bollinger Grande Annee Rose

72% Pinot Noir, 28% Chardonnay from 13 crus: mainly Aÿ and Verzenay for the Pinot Noir; Avize, Chouilly and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger for the Chardonnay – 95% grands crus and 5% premiers crus. 5% red Côte aux Enfants wine. Cuvée only. Fermented entirely in oak (225-400 litre, at least four years old). Aged under cork. Dosage 7 g/l. Pale apricot gold. Gentle red fruit flavours and impressive intensity on the palate, becoming more wine-like with the mature Comté (but not as good a match as the 1992 had been). It definitely did not go with the baked cheesecake with berry compote served for dessert. Super-fine mousse and a sour-cherry freshness on the finish. Aftertaste of cranberry. (JH)

Tasted blind. Pale saignée colour. Very unusual nose – almost smells of caramel! A tad sickly. (JR)

Includes 5-6% Coteaux Champenois red wine. They have produced a vintage rosé since the days of Mme Bollinger but did not start producing a rosé NV until 2007. Pretty apricot pink, the colour of Victoria plums. Plenty of fruit here – both red fruits and apricot, the fine tannins creating an impression that this is pretty dry (though it is not bone-dry) and adding length. Still quite tightly wound. Fine-boned and very much a food wine – almost more of a wine than a fizz, though it does not lack bubbles. (JH)