Louis Roederer Brut Rose Late Release (Deluxe Giftbox) - 1997

Deep yellow hue with golden and slightly amber tints and vigorous, lively bubbles. The intense Pinot noir bouquet includes notes of zesty red fruit (redcurrants) and juicy, sun drenched yellow fruit (mirabelle plums, wild peaches). After aeration, the nose evolves towards the more classic aromas of the Pinot noirs grown in “La Montagne”: dried fruit and smoky notes combined with a few zesty and spicy aromas (white pepper). The palate is dynamic, concentrated and powerful. The texture is fleshy and vinous with a lovely acidity that incorporates the freshness and concentration of the juice with great ease. The structure is energetic, well-honed, firm and almost classic. The fruity aromas gradually give way to sweeter notes of chocolate (cocoa beans) and even delicate roasted notes. The finish reveals concentrated roasted and stewed fruit underpinned by saline, mouthwatering flavours leaving a magnificent final sensation of lightness,generosity and elegance.

Decanter 96: Of Louis Roederer's 2024 release of five Late Release Vintage Rosés, the 1995 is perhaps the most polished. The wine today lies at the apex of gently ageing dried red fruits, honey and apricot sweetness and toasted bread richness, all still brightly lit with the vintage's detail and fragrance. The texture is gorgeous, silky and settled, the shape perfectly tapered and measured. A testament to long-aged rosé.

Decanter 93: The 1996 vintage was legendary in Champagne, although reappraisal has often found the wines picked too early, before aromatic ripeness. Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon calls it a 'monster' vintage, in an endearing way. It's hugely reductive and energetic, with lime marmalade, dried apple and vegetal complexity, engagingly split between caramelising maturity and almost irrepressible acidic force. A one-off.

Decanter 92: The 1997 vintage was a very tricky one in Champagne, but Louis Roederer's Late Release Vintage Rosé celebrates the slight angularity of the year. A beautiful cushion of lees-ageing creaminess comes from a decade of cellar ageing, followed by flavours of green peppercorn, peach yogurt and dried strawberry with some umami savour. As promised by the Late Release programme, this is a wine that offers gastronomic intrigue.

Decanter 93: The 1998 vintage is an 'explosion of Pinot' according to Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. This late-release edition of Roederer's Vintage Rosé, with 10 years on lees, is accordingly exuberant. The strawberry tart, cherry and toasty almond flavours are still bountiful, if starting to show a beautiful, dry-spice maturity and sweetness. A little more immediate and perhaps less complex than some of the other vintages in this collection, this wins out through sheer Pinot Noir fragrance.

Decanter 94: The youngest Late Release Vintage Rosé of the vertical released in 2024, the 1999 comes from a mature vintage of low acidity. With 10 years on lees, there's a wonderfully satisfying, warm-toned intensity to this vintage. It's all red plums, caramel and orange bitters, soft and enveloping, with a hushed mousse and spicy, lightly savoury finish. Fully emerged, yet fully alive. There's no need to wait any longer here.