Leclerc Briant Champagne Rosé Extra Brut

Somewhat pale rosé colour. Fine perlage. Very zippy and extra brut, but not overly severe. Slightly saline. Served with cured salmon, beetroot, panna cotta and kumquat starter, which was a perfect pairing. Excellent bottle of wine, but make sure that the extra brut is paired appropriately / taken into consideration.

Mostly chardonnay. So they take a blanc de blanc put a little bit of red wine in it. The smallest house they say. They would like to be a grower but a little bit too big, if I caught that right. Crabapple fruit and under-ripe strawberry to the nose, fresh. Clean and tight and focused on the palate. Intense and vibrant. Superior in quality, above average in quality if at $60.

2021 vintage rose extra brut: 89pc chard, 11pc Pinot, 2022/06 disgorged; 3.5 g/l; caramel nose, chalky; good ripe cranberries; acids still prominent but somewhat masked by the ripeness; assemblage, vinified separately;

Disclaimer: we sell this 89% Chard, 11% PN (still), 2021, Disgorged 07/2024 with 2.8g/l dosage. Light salmon and copper in color, this is delicate and understated. Grapefruit, pastry and florals on the nose. Some ripe citrus, red berries and more florals on the palate with zingy acidity and a saline finish. Everything is in balance and elegance. Not really complex but fragrant and refreshing. Very nice.

Non-adjusted to 70 as average score: 85/100 Nose: Baked apples, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon. Palate: baked Apricot, vanilla, brown sugar, Lemon rind, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, gingerbread cookies, honey, toffee, and all with a racy acidity. Finish: Lemon rind, ginger, cinnamon, baked Apricot.

This was served blind to us by Eric at a beautiful lunch at Au Bon Manger in Reims. It really needed time to open up for a qualified guess, as it was extremely subtle, closed and felt a bit unbalanced right after the pour. We ended up guessing 100% Chardonnay that didn't come from Côte des Blancs, vinified in oak and Brut Nature. Proud to hit it so nicely; This is 100% Chardonnay from Bisseuil, harvested in 2016 and vinified …

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024 : Bought this at Au Bon Manger and was interesting to compare this with the Jestin since Herve consults at Leclerc Briant too. This 300-bottle cuvee was made in tandem with the owners of Au Bon Manger. Made in a taut Chardonnay style, was less expressive than the Jestin alongside on both the nose and palate. Needs more time.

Has a bit of the Leclerc nose sweet tarts candy thing but along with it comes white flower, lemon zest, and a bit of oak vanilla. Ripping acidity! Hoooo boy let’s go! Mineral af, more lemon zest, only a tiny bit of oak but it’s integrated. Finish goes on for days, tons of savor and mineral and lemon quince pear. I’m still a BdN boy at heart but this is absolutely killer BdB.

Deep color. Aromas of cherry, strawberry, raspberry, red currant. Fresh, presence of some tannins, taste of cherry and strawberry.

Bienvenue a Champagne; 4/20/2023-4/29/2023 (Les Crayeres, various restaurants, Les Avises and a many wonderful producers) : There’s definitely a personal preference to all of this but for me I found myself liking the Rose Saignees a fair amount. It is true that they can change year to year and the maceration is a different style but I feel like they create more of a wine versus the assemblage (although there’s a time and place for both). 2014 vintage. 100% Pinot …

One of the best ones tasted. Full bodied, great after taste and mousse. Ripe.

This pours medium salmon in the glass. The nose is lovely showing strawberry danish, whisps of caramel, chalk, cotton candy, and cherry blossom. The palate enters on bright white and red cherry notes, turning to low dosage, which feels like 4 g/l, and medium plus acid. The texture on this is nice. The finish closes out on white and red cherries and chalky soil tones. This champagne really nicely balances the line between elegant and rich, and would pleasing to …

4g/L, but sweeter from base. Darker colour than expected. Tobacco leaf, cassis, woody, strawberry jam. Not a strawberry rose. Lighter on the palate than the nose.

Pale ruby, almost Ribena like. Fresh, intense red fruits, esp cherries and cranberries. On the palate almost bubble gummy, quite intense but bubbles can be finer.