Description
Champagne André Clouet, Grand Cru Brut Rosé “No.3”
André Clouet’s Bouzy Rosé is the VIP, the cause célèbre, the superstar of SommSelect. Of the dozen-plus iterations we’ve offered over the years, they’ve all been deliciously rich, vivid Champagnes with the rare ability to captivate a room. Truly, we’ve yet to find a Grand Cru Rosé competitor that can come close to matching its outstanding price-to-quality!
As always, Clouet’s luxurious rosé hails from one of the greatest Pinot Noir terroirs in Champagne: Bouzy. It is from these majestic Grand Cru grounds that Jean-François Clouet handcrafts a mineral-studded, red-fruited, unapologetically generous rosé powerhouse that receives perfect marks from us time after time. After all these years, it’s still holding steady right around the $50 mark, too, which is why we never tire of drinking/offering it. However, the wine world has become ever-so-aware of Clouet’s stunners, so we’re generally limited to once-per-year offers on his “No. 3” rosé. That’s why our subscribers take their full 12-bottle share when this unbeatable value finally does make a fleeting appearance on our site. Enjoy!
Derived from mid-slope vines within the prestigious Grand Cru village of Bouzy, this rosé is crafted from 100% Pinot Noir with a healthy portion of reserves. This wine fermented, both alcoholic and malolactic, in stainless steel vessels and then aged for several years in bottle. After disgorgement, it was topped off with a dosage of six grams of sugar and a small percentage of still Bouzy Pinot Noir to achieve its trademark bright salmon color. Fun fact: The term “No.3” was originally created to assist customers in judging the color with the numbers ranging from one, the lightest, to 10, the darkest.
With incredible terroir, extended lees aging, and meticulous winemaking, Clouet’s rosé offers an incredibly balanced combination of ripe fruit, texture, depth, and minerality that is nearly unrivaled. Its vibrant salmon pink gives off astonishingly ripe, ultra-clean aromas that burst out as energetic beads of carbonation swirl upward with vigor. Service temperature is always key, especially in high-quality Champagne, so make sure you’re sniffing and drinking around 50-55 degrees. When at the optimal temperature, it erupts with seductive notes of red cherries, blood orange, grapefruit zest, strawberry coulis, raspberry, damp rose, finely crushed chalk, and a soft touch of wild herbs. For the newcomers: This is not an angular rosé! It boasts ripe, stunningly supple textures that deliver the utmost pleasure. Delightful in its youth, this wine’s fruit will take on savory components over the next 2-3 years, so stow a few bottles away, or at the very least space them out over the next year until the next disgorgement arrives! Cheers!
