Tag Archives: Tête de Cuvée

60 Second Wine Review — 2006 Louis XV Rose

A few quick thoughts on the 2006 De Venoge Louis XV rosé.

The Geekery

As I noted in a previous 60 Second Review of the De Venoge Princes Blanc de Noirs, the house of De Venoge was founded in Epernay by Swiss winemaker Henri-Marc de Venoge in 1837.

Tom Stevenson and Essi Avellan note in The Christie’s World Encyclopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wine that De Venoge was very popular in the royal households and courts during the mid-1800s when Henri’s son, Joseph, would join the entourage of royal princes on hunting trips and present at the picnics his Champagnes in crystal carafe bottles.

The house has changed hands several times over the years and in 1996 was under the ownership of Rémy Cointreau, makers of the Louis XIII Cognac. It now belongs to Lanson-BCC which includes not only Champagne Lanson but also Philipponnat, Chanoine Frères/Tsarine and Champagne Boizel.

The current chef de cave is Isabelle Tellier, one of the few female winemakers in Champagne despite its long history of female leadership. Tellier follows a prestigious lineage of winemakers at De Venoge that includes Eric Lebel (now at Krug) and Thierry Grasco (now at Pommery).

The 2006 Louis XV rosé is a blend of 50% Pinot noir and 50% Chardonnay, including 6-7% red Pinot noir. The wine spent 10 years aging on the lees before being bottled with a dosage of 6 g/l.

The Wine

High intensity aromatics. Very red fruit dominant–cherries, plum, strawberries. There also quite a bit of spice that makes me think of Christmas fruit cake.

Photo by User:Piotrus. Uploaded to Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-SA-3.0

The fruitcake spiciness in this rose adds flavors and complexity.

On the palate those red fruits carry through along with a toasted nuttiness that adds depth and complexity. The mouthfeel is very heavy with a little red wine tannins as well. The fruitcake spiciness also carries through, persisting through a long finish.

The Verdict

This is a very full-bodied rosé with strong red wine character and a lot of complexity.

At around $200-230, it is certainly priced like a prestige cuvee and holds its own among its peers.

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60 Second Wine Review — De Venoge Princes Blanc de Noirs

A few quick thoughts on the De Venoge Princes Blanc de Noirs.

The Geekery

The house of De Venoge was founded in Epernay by Swiss winemaker Henri-Marc de Venoge in 1837. The house is most noted for its Tête de Cuvée Louis XV which was made to commemorate the French king’s May 25th, 1728 dictate that finally allowed Champagne to be bottled in Champagne instead of being shipped in barrels and bottled at its designation.

As a top prestige cuvée, the Louis XV is only made in exceptional vintages and released in very limited quantities after at least 10 years aging on the lees. The wine is usually in the $170-260 range.

The fruit from the vintages that are still very good (and, indeed, still being used for vintage releases of Dom Perignon and Cristal) but not quite Louis XV-level, gets declassified down to the houses’ other Champagnes such as the Princes line. There are three wines in this tier of non-vintage Champagnes– a Rosé, a Blanc de Blancs and a Blanc de Noirs.

The Princes Blanc de Noirs is made of 100% Pinot noir sourced from Grand Cru and Premier Crus in the Montagne de Reims. It spends at least 3 years aging on the lees before it is bottled with a 6-7 g/l dosage.

The Wine

High aromatics with lots of red fruits on the nose–raspberry, plum and red apple peel. There is also a strong floral note but it is a mix of white and darker flowers. A true bouquet.

On the palate, the mousse is silky but with a lot of power and weight. The acidity is still lively which adds a freshness but power is clearly the dominant profile. The red berry fruits carry through to the palate with a little apple pie pastry.

The Verdict

Picture by Arnaud 25 on Wikimedia Commons released under CC-BY-SA-4.0

But if you want to splurge for the real deal, by all means enjoy!

As a “baby Louis XV”, it is an exceptional value at around $80 for a Champagne that delivers top shelf quality that out perform many far more expensive bottles. Indeed, this particular bottle of Princes Blanc de Noirs was easily outdrinking the $130-150 bottle of 2006 Dom Perignon.

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