Thanks to Xiao P for sourcing this serious rose!                                                    Photo by Johnny 

Philipponnat ‘Cuvée 1522’ Millesime 2003 Brut Rose Premier Cru Champagne (750ml)

Composition: 65% Pinot Noir from the vineyard of Le Léon in Grand Cru Ay; 28% Chardonnay from Grands Crus Oger and Avize in Cote des Blancs; 7% Pinot Noir red wine from Premier Cru Mareuil-sur-Ay (from the vineyard of La Remissonne in the case of Rose Millesime 2003)

Dosage: 4g/l, thus ‘extra brut’

Very limited production：only about 1,200 bottles made for 'Cuvée 1522' Rose 2002, while production for the difficult and small crop of 2003 could only be even less…

A bit of background info：

‘Cuvée 1522’ is to commemorate the year in which the Philipponnat family first planted roots in Champagne, in the village of Aÿ. Now ‘Cuvée 1522’ have two vintage-dated versions: Blanc and Rose, both Extra Brut. The Blanc version is dominated by Pinot Noir from the vineyard of Le Léon in Grand Cru Ay and completed by fine Chardonnay from Grands Crus in Cote des Blancs, thus the ‘Cuvée 1522’ Blanc is labeled ‘Grand Cru’. But the even rarer and more expensive ‘Cuvée 1522’ Rose could only be labeled ‘Premier Cru’, because the red wine in the blend comes from Mareuil-sur-Ay, a 99% rated Premier Cru (Mareuil-sur-Ay is renowned for Pinot Noir and home to some most illustrious single-vineyard champagnes such as Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses and Billecart-Salmon’s Le Clos Saint Hillaire.)

Tasted in Feb., 2012

Served upon popping the cork.

Pale salmon robe with some coppery hue. Densely-packed, fine bubbles.

Initially the nose is closed, needing aeration in the glass. Gradually comes the incisive minerality, followed by refined, creamy aromas of raspberry, red currant and then candied fruit.

Just a sip, and we are surprised by the intense expression of chalkiness, which is made even more austere by some tannic bites. Surely we can still sense the ripe, evolved red fruit there, though that's pushed to the background.

As it warms up in the glass, the ripe, effortless fruit and almost voluptuous vinosity come to the forefront, rendering a silky, expansive sensation on the attack and mid palate. Then it’s gripped and lifted again by chalky austerity onto the finish.

Half an hour or so after being open, seductive aroma of ripe cherry emerges in earthy depth, reminiscent of fine Burgundian Rouge.

For a low acid year like 2003, this serious rose has managed to shape and frame the voluptuous fruit by mineral austerity.