2008 Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé Champagne

A well-cut, minerally version, with a firm backbone of acidity and a lacy mousse, layered with flavors of baked currant, toast and lemon curd. Offers a racy, spiced finish. (AN)

Veuve have re-introduced partial barrel maturation with the 2008 vintage; five percent of the wines were aged in French oak casks to add seasoning and complexity to the final blend. There is a slight bronze tinge to the wine, with a subtle nose of tangerine and red berries and some oak creaminess too. The palate displays flavours of vanilla bean, mandarin and cranberry, and a really incisive finish. Well chiselled and complex, this is only in the first phase of a long life. (JB)