Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made of 90% Chardonnay and the rest red wine from Les Riceys, the NV Champagne Extra Brut Rosé has a medium salmon/copper hue. Raised in terracotta eggs, glass, and wood, with the Pinot Noir aging in glass and oak, the 2021 harvest was entirely disgorged in March 2025, with a dosage of 2.5 grams per liter. The nose is savory yet tense, with notes of broth, while the palate is approachable and energetic, with medium body and good intensity, yet it remains nicely focused. The oak is delicate, framing the wine with light, toasty incense, alongside notes of cranberries, orange peel, and spices. The mousse is lively and crisp, finishing clean and salty. Blanc de Blancs Rosé is structured by the Chardonnay, and here the palate shows more citrus and white peaches, with subtle red fruit spice.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Based on the 2020 vintage and disgorged in November 2023 with 2.9 grams per liter dosage, Leclerc Briant's NV Rosé Extra-Brut offers up aromas of red berries, lemon oil, herbs and peony mingled with lovely smoky notes. Moderately weighted, tense and straight, it's vinous and lively, with bright acids and a mouthwatering, saline and lemon oil-inflected finish. It was crafted from Chardonnay from Mardeuil, Trépaille, Billy le Grand and Bisseuil, with the addition of 7% red wine.
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Wine & Spirits
A fruit-for-ward sweetness infuses this wine with scents of golden peach and passion fruit, though the wine remains tight, with a grapefruit and mineral acidity. It’s big enough to take on a tuna steak.
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Wine Spectator
A well-knit rosé Champagne, with macerated cherry, peach skin, raw almond and spun honey flavors riding a finely detailed, plush mousse framed by sleek acidity. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
What are the different types of sparkling rosé wine?
Rosé sparkling wines like Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and others make a fun and festive alternative to regular bubbles—but don’t snub these as not as important as their clear counterparts. Rosé Champagnes (i.e., those coming from the Champagne region of France) are made in the same basic way as regular Champagne, from the same grapes and the same region. Most other regions where sparkling wine is produced, and where red grape varieties also grow, also make a rosé version.
How is sparkling rosé wine made?
There are two main methods to make rosé sparkling wine. Typically, either white wine is blended with red wine to make a rosé base wine, or only red grapes are used but spend a short period of time on their skins (maceration) to make rosé colored juice before pressing and fermentation. In either case the base wine goes through a second fermentation (the one that makes the bubbles) through any of the various sparkling wine making methods.
What gives rosé Champagne and sparkling wine their color and bubbles?
The bubbles in sparkling wine are formed when the base wine undergoes a secondary fermentation, which traps carbon dioxide inside the bottle or fermentation vessel. During this stage, the yeast cells can absorb some of the wine’s color but for the most part, the pink hue remains.
How do you serve rosé sparkling wine?
Treat rosé sparkling wine as you would treat any Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and other sparkling wine of comparable quality. For storing in any long-term sense, these should be kept at cellar temperature, about 55F. For serving, cool to about 40F to 50F. As for drinking, the best glasses have a stem and a flute or tulip shape to allow the bead (bubbles) and beautiful rosé hue to show.
How long do rosé Champagne and sparkling wine last?
Most rosé versions of Prosecco, Champagne, Cava or others around the “$20 and under” price point are intended for early consumption. Those made using the traditional method with extended cellar time before release (e.g., Champagne or Crémant) can typically improve with age. If you are unsure, definitely consult our Customer Care team for guidance.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’