Tasting Notes
Vinous 94
The 2015 Extra-Brut Rose Grand Vintage is one of the best Champagnes I have tasted from Moet & Chandon in some time. Rich and vinous in the glass, with terrific persistence, the 2015 exudes class from start to finish. All the elements are so well balanced. Hints of crushed raspberry, rose petal and blood orange lend a beguiling air of exoticism. The Rose is at once deep and yet also light on its feet. I loved it.
Anticipated maturity: 2022-2030
The Champagne Club 91
As the infamous Zusuki fly destroyed parts of the 2014 harvest at Moet & Chandon, Benoit Gouez was relieved and happy when 2015 produced such large quantities of whole and magnificent bunches of grapes as 2015 produced. On the whole, an easily worked uncomplicated vintage that reminds a lot of this year’s 2022. The alcohol was high and the acid really low. On the plus side, the phenolic ripeness was superb and the richness of extract, chalky salinity and a grapefruity bitterness provided contrasting flavor details that offset the low acidity. This is the melody of the future as the climate gets warmer and Champagne’s growers have to find other ways to create resilience and balanced harmony in their wines. The dosage must also be lower and in this specific case we are down to 5 grams of sugar. I think Benoit convinced us all of the wine’s good storage potential and development by opening a series of vintages with similar warm climate characteristics. 2003 and 1999 perhaps most clearly showed that these types of vintages almost stay in growth for 15 years or so. The rose is even younger and slower in its development than its white namesake. Personally, I am a bit bothered by an unnecessarily intense cherry scent that easily becomes a bit artificial in its youth. The nice thing is that it will be gone in a year and then transition to more classic burgundy aromas. The richness and structure is superb, but I think unfortunately few will get to enjoy this wine at its zenith because Benoit has fortunately not taken into account that too many bottles of Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage Rose are drunk in the wrong settings and contexts. Store!




