Louis Roederer Brut Rose 2012 (1.5L)

96 JM / 95 JS / 95 JM / 94 WE / 93 WS / 93 VM / 17 JR

In magnum format. Roederer holds the magnums back an extra few years to allow the autolytic character to shine through and add an extra level of smoothness. With a clear resemblance to the 75cl, the magnum effect adds reductive toastiness (coffee bean, gun smoke) to the red fruit ensemble. There is surprisingly little to choose between this and the bottle format in terms of overall quality, even if the aspect is different. Excellent! Drink from 2024-2034. Tasted: September 2023.--Stephen Pritchard for Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy

A rich year with low yields and a perfectly warm summer. The nose is all chalky, oyster shell and dried berries. Plenty of powerful wild red fruit. Super focused with a very crisp, linear, acid drive. Pink grapefruit to close. A great vintage for this rosé. Drink now or hold – this has the structure to support some ageing. – James Suckling

A sensationally good edition of this wine from Roederer! When first released, it was a joyous melange of succulent berry fruit edged with an intense blackcurrant aroma. Stunning complexity! In recent years, the fruit has given way to a toastier spectrum of aromas, yet the fruit remains. In the perfect zone for drinking, fine acids drive freshness and provide a counterpoint to the emerging, quilted maturing. Drink from 2024-2029. Tasted: September 2023. - Stephen Pritchard, Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy

This mature generous wine is perfectly ready to drink. Its red fruits are now balanced by a toasty character as well as ripe acidity and a touch of tannin. This is a very fine wine, balanced and rich. Drink now. - Wine Enthusiast

Vibrant acidity frames expressive flavors of poached apricot, mandarin orange peel, toasted brioche and almond blossom in this well-knit, pale, salmon-hued Champagne, while the lacy mousse carries an echoing streak of salinity on the finish. Drink now through 2028.—A.N., Wine Spectator

The 2012 Brut Rosé Vintage is another compelling wine in this range from Roederer. Creamy, open-knit and radiant, the 2012 captures the natural radiance and generosity of this vintage beautifully. Red berry, chalk, white flowers and mint build in a wonderfully inviting, layered Champagne. Floral overtones add freshness and perfume to play off the rich fruit. Dense and racy, but not at all heavy, the Rosé Vintage is positively stellar in 2012. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

2% Cumières Pinot Noir, 38% north-facing Chardonnay in Chouilly. Disgorged early 2017. They keep the Pinot Noir at 4 °C and encourage a long maceration so it’s still juice. When the colour is right they rack and add the Chardonnay juice and then ferment them together. Lécaillon says they don’t make a non-vintage rosé because the colour is not consistent. Subtle with a dry finish. Very readable already for such a young wine. - Jancis Robinson