Champagne Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Rosé Extra Brut 2015

Moët et Chandon is one of the great wine brands of the world, and one of the most famous Champagne houses. It was founded in 1743 in Epernay and known for its consistency, elegance, and innovation. It’s also known as the house that puts out one of the most famous tête de cuvées, Dom Perignon. But within its own cuvées, Moët has so much more to discover.

Because Moët et Chandon has such a long history, there are many fun facts to know about the brand. For one, the brand was popular with Louis XV and Napoleon, and it was decreed that Moët would supply Queen Elizabeth II. It’s also the largest Champagne house in the world – it produces 30 million bottles a year – including fun cuvées, such as the Ice Imperial, which was created specifically to do the most faux-pas wine thing of all: add ice to your glass. What else? Well, the brand was the first French house to establish an outpost outside of France. In this case, it was Domaine Chandon, a sparkling wine-forward winery in Napa Valley, and in the very exclusive acronym luxury goods house, LVMH, the “M” in that stands for Moët. So yes, you’ll be drinking one of the G.O.A.T.s of Champagne.

This rosé is from the 2015 vintage – an excellent vintage by most all accounts in Champagne. Vintage Champagnes were established by Madame Clicquot of Veuve Clicquot fame, and they continue to be the standard bearer for excellent Champagne in the region. Since 1842, only 76 vintages have been deemed excellent enough to be declared by Moët, and this stellar wine is one of them. There’s only five grams per liter of dosage added post-disgorgement, and it has aged on the lees for full 72 months.  Moët’s chef de cave, Benoit Gouez, created this wine with a cépage of 52% pinot noir (14% of which is red wine), 27% chardonnay and 21% meunier. Those varieties together create dark, spicy aromas, as well as raspberries and garrigue notes. Beyond that, the flavors run from spectrum to spectrum, from wild strawberries and figs to pink peppercorns, blood orange, and allspice. It’s a layered and complex wine that is a crowd pleaser – blessed with a rare 94 point score from Vinous that was gushing with praise (for rosé Champagne – that’s exceptional!). Choosing this as your holiday option will go a long way in garnering respect from your bubbly-loving peers, so gift yourself this great wine for the holiday season. One not to miss!