2006 Dom Perignon Rose

The 2006 Dom Pérignon Rosé continues to show very well, unfurling in the glass with aromas of bitter orange, dried white flowers, red berries, toast and woodsmoke. On the palate, it's full-bodied, broad and muscular, with all the phenolic structure and depth that one would expect from a rosé that contains more than 20% still red wine, concluding with a sapid and chalky finish. As I wrote earlier this year, this is a vinous, gastronomic rosé that numbers among the decided successes of the 2006 vintage.

Loads of complexity on offer here, from brioche to dried peaches to strawberries and cream and on to rhubarb fool, pomegranate pastries and bread crumbs. The mousse is wonderfully integrated to the edgy peaches and notes that feather the finest line between oxidation and reduction. Very layered and linear, this is an incredibly long and mind-bending Champagne. Drink now.

Pale to mid salmon. A definite orange hue. Broad and rose-scented. Really quite extensive on the palate. Very nicely balanced. Lots of fruit and much softer than the 2008 and 2002 Blanc.