Champagne Philipponnat Royale Reserve Rosé, Montagne de Reims, Champagne

Philipponnat’s Rosé aspiration is freshness, and it’s now entrusted to dark bottles for the first time, ‘because it’s impossible to educate retailers on lightstruck degradation in clear bottles!’ explains international marketing and sales director Antoine de Boysson. The bright purity and gentle structure of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ pinot is well suited to rosé (as Billecart has also exemplified), and Philipponnat has always excelled with this blend. You would have to go all the way back to 2008 to find a release of such refined elegance as the 2013 base. A tiny dose of Clos des Goisses red wine is all it takes to stain it a beautiful medium salmon hue. The presence of pinot noir brings great depth of savoury spice and tomato over a core of red cherry and wild strawberry fruit. Chalk mineral structure is very fine and pronounced, in wonderful synergy with lively, focused acidity and fine-grained, well-toned tannins. A rosé of true greatness, presenting refined elegance with lingering persistence.

94 points Tyson Stelzer tysonstelzer.com