Find out who won the trophy for non-vintage rose over £10. And the winner is...
Louis Bernard Rosé (Boizel)
It had to happen someday … a second label sold exclusively by a supermarket wins the trophy, while the first label from the same producer ends up with just a silver! Not that a DWWA silver is “just” anything!
From the crib sheet, it is clear that the panel not only tasted both the Boizel and Louis Bernard rosé Champagnes in the same flight, but they were also only one wine apart, so all the judges had a perfect opportunity to compare both Champagnes at practically the same time.
The Boizel Rosé is a lovely, rose-gold coloured Champagne with a little maturity beautifully focused fruit, but the panel felt that the younger looking Louis Bernard with its freshness and softness of red and black fruits was more gold material and the fact that it went on to defeat five other gold medal non-vintage Champagne rosés to claim this trophy demonstrated just how correct the panel was in making that judgement.
The particular non-vintage blend we tasted was based on 2006 with 20 per cent reserve wines from 2005, 10 per cent red wine from Les Riceys and a dosage of 10g/l.
The grapes come from almost every corner of Champagne: Chardonnay from Côte de Sézanne and Côte des Blancs, Pinot Meunier from Vallée de la Marne, and Pinot Noir from the Aube.
There is a triple feminine touch to this wine: Evelyne Roques-Boizel, who runs the company and signs off on every blend; Isabelle Tellier, the oenologist who makes the wine; and Philippa Carr MW, who selected this cuvée exclusively for Asda, and remarked “Rose Champagne is one of those wines which really needs to be unashamedly poised, delicate and elegant and the Louis Bernard Rose is just that.
It is the Kate Middleton of the Champagne world – class in a glass!”
Availability UK (Asda: £22.97), US (N/A)
Website www.champagne-boizel.fr
Telephone 33 (0) 326 55.21.51
Written by Tom Stevenson
