99-pt. De Venoge Louis XV Rosé 2018 — One of the Champagnes of the Vintage

This 99-point Champagne from 2018 is one of the prestige cuvées of its vintage, and one of the great rosés of our time. Sourced from premier Grand Cru villages (Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, and Avize for the Chardonnay; Bouzy and Verzenay, for the Pinot Noir), it’s a celestial experience. And also a rarity: De Venoge makes its Louis XV cuvées only from Grand Crus, and only in vintages that it deems exceptional. 

This is one of those rare and singular wines that transcends points and reviews. There's no end of elegance and refinement here, to be sure, but it also delivers the kind of excitement, surprise, and slow, unfolding that only the great wines can.

In his paean of a review, James Suckling declared it "a fantastic rosé" with "floral strawberry undertones," and a "crisp, creamy finish ... Exquisite is the word."

Indeed it is, James.

Delineated and sharp, it’s got a fantastic precision that doesn’t stop it from also being delicate and refined. The palate opens slowly, teasingly, with red fruit giving way to something savory, and every time you think you’ve gotten to the bottom of it, there’s another floor. The bubbles are fine and persistent, and the finish is sheer gorgeousness, ample and controlled and long.

Most Champagne houses have built their reputations on a house style. De Venoge is more interested in revealing terroir. And the reason they’ve remained at the front of the pack for nearly two centuries is by refusing to cut corners at any stage of the long, laborious process. It uses only grapes from the best crus, ages its wines past what the law requires, and insists upon low dosage, so that each plot is able to speak fully and freely and in its own voice.

The Louis XV line is the prize. In 1728, the king issued a decree allowing Champagne to be shipped in bottles rather than barrels, or, to put it another way: he made the bubbles possible. 

De Venoge has honored him in the best way possible: with a killer cuvée that will literally stand the test of time.

Pour it with caviar, with oysters, or even with a plate of fried chicken (yes, fried chicken), and let the celebration begin.

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