2012 Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Rose Millesime, Champagne

Disgorged with nine grams per liter dosage in 2021, the 2012 Brut Rosé is a blend of 62% Pinot Noir and 38% Chardonnay sourced from 11 villages. Nine percent red wine from Les Ryceys has been added. Offering up aromas of blueberry, wild strawberry, pomegranate, almond and spring flowers, the palate is energetic with lively acids, perfectly balanced and juicy, but it already exudes freshness and clarity that lead to a finish with a light grace note of gastronomic bitterness. It will drink at its peak in four to six years’ time.

93 points YC robertparker.com

The year 2012 made news. And that is probably because its chaotic wine-producing history was finally rewarded with a breath-taking, almost miraculous, harmony. Today the 2012 Vintage has found its place amongst the great Champagne years. Produced from a precise selection of eleven Grands and Premiers Crus, this blended rosé boasts lushness and elegance, and will age gracefully for many years. The Rosé Millésimé is an assemblage of 62 % Pinot Noir , including 9% red wine, and 38% Chardonnay. Charles Heidsieck considers 2012 to be self-evident: a “classic” vintage in the noblest sense of the term. The cuvée is enthralling for its power, generosity, and structure, combined with smoothness and remarkable freshness.

A universally respected Champagne house steeped in history, founded by - you guessed it - Charles Heidsieck in 1851, referred to as the original "Champagne Charlie". In modern times it was Daniel Thibault's obsessive focus on quality that came to define them as such a reputable house. Tragically Daniel died in 2002, but the unrelenting focus on quality has since been driven by successors Regis Camus and Thierry Roset.

Between them they have won Trophies and/or the 'Sparkling Winemaker of the Year' at the International Wine Challenge an unrivalled 15 times.

The fruit for the Rosé comes from the top villages of Riceys, Abonnay and Aÿ, with the delicate colour obtained from a short skin contact with the Pinot Noir element in the blend. 20% of the blend is made up of old reserve wines, which are up to 10 years of age!

37% chardonnay from Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant and Vertus, 63% pinot from Avenay, Louvois, Tauxières, Ambonnay and Aÿ, including 8% pinot noir red wine, half from Bouzy, Ambonnay, Verzenay and Hautvillers and half Les Riceys; fermented in stainless steel tanks, cru by cru, variety by variety; 10g/L dosage; just 6% of the sales of the house

One of Cyril Brun’s first decisions on joining the company was to release this vintage before the 2005 (which he recalls brought some strange looks – ‘Who is that new guy doing crazy things?!’). I loved it on that first release and I adore it even more now, its pinot core having burst through its surface in a display of breathtaking red cherries, wild strawberries, even cassis, at once fresh, flamboyant and vivacious, and at the same time complex and contemplative. The elegant freshness and freeze-frame evolution of its early life have held transfixed, melting effortlessly into a vortex of deeply evocative Charles spice, ginger and brioche, all the while projecting beautifully refined acid structure and stunning chalk mineral freshness. A delightful Rosé for long conversations on cool nights.