Description
Champagne André Clouet, Rosé No. 3, Grand Cru Brut
By now, Regulars know that André Clouet is one of our favorite Grower-Champagnes. We offer Clouet every time we get the chance, which is never often enough. Our customers frequently ask when more is arriving on our shores. Well, today is the day, and this time it’s their phenomenal No.3 Grand Cru Brut Rosé.
100% Pinot Noir from the Grand Cru village of Bouzy and aged on its lees for many years, this full-bodied, fresh and mineral-driven pink lady drinks well above major Champagne houses’ rosés for a fraction of the price. It is a beauty of dizzying complexity and serious depth that will make you wonder why you ever paid exorbitant prices for the most famous house’s rosés when André Clouet’s No.3 tastes this good. The incredibly small producer only crafts a tiny amount and an even smaller number reaches our shores.
This André Clouet No.3 Grand Cru Brut Rosé displays a concentrated light pink core with green and pink highlights on the meniscus and very fine beading that slowly works its way through the viscous liquid. The aromatics are perfectly balanced with intense notes of wild strawberry, cherry blossoms, orange peel, lemon zest and rose petal candy and are deepened by fragrances of rising brioche and austere crushed chalk. The near full-bodied palate is densely filled with wild red berry fruit that possess a slight sweetness underscored by wet roses and creamy brioche flavors that are bolstered by crushed minerals. This is not your angular Champagne; it boasts a rich, yeasty texture that delivers pleasure that is anything but simple. Delightful in its youth, this wine’s fruit will drop out in favor of savory notes over the next 3-5 years – so put a few bottles away. If enjoying a bottle now, simply refrigerate and bring out the bottle ten minutes prior to serving at around 45-50 degrees. However, I cannot stress enough the importance of serving this wine in an open mouth flute or even an all-purpose glass; a tall, thin flute will stifle the otherwise magical aromatics. This is a serious rosé with no shortage of personality, which makes it ideal for a main course with options as varied as venison, roasted pork or wild boar. I personally recommend this recipe for duck prepared with port-cherry sauce and served with kale.
