Medium copper color; strawberry, redcurrant, peach, bread yeast; intense red berries, strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant, caramel, hint of pastry and menthol on the palate.
Brut, edging toward extra dry; refreshing acidity; lively, creamy mouthfeel. Crisp, sleek, especially in mid-palate and finish. Vibrant bubbles. Simple, but impressive effort considering the huge production numbers of this complement to Moët & Chandon Brut. The brut and rosé versions of this wine are widely available—Sam’s Club, Target, Cosco stock them. Competes with Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label for mass sales of quality sparkling in the U.S.
Bright fruitiness with pinot noir and pinot meunier in the lead. A non-vintage Champagne aims for a consistent house style. This includes 40-50% pinot noir, 30-40% pinot meunier, 10-20% chardonnay. Includes 10% of red wine added before the second fermentation to achieve color, making it a transfer rosé rather than a brief skin contact or free run juice effort. This is Moët & Chandon Brut with dose of red wine added for second fermentation; 12% ABV.
Moët & Chandon traces its roots to 1743 and founder Claude Moët. At that time, Champagne, the northernmost wine region in Europe, was something of a backwater, and the wine was considered inferior. Only later did it become the internationally recognized symbol of luxury, quality, and indulgence.
Significant credit for the transformation from backwater to prominence goes to Claude Moët’s grandson, Jean-Remy Moët, who marketed Champagne to the world at the end of the 1700s. As Moët’s website asserts “The important figures of the era, from the Marquise de Pompadour to Talleyrand to Napoleon quickly fell in love with the House’s effervescent wine. Moët & Chandon was soon the icon of success and elegance that it remains to this day.”
The Marquise de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV, was a highly influential tastemaker. Her famous quote: “Champagne is the only wine in the world that makes every woman beautiful” refers to Moët’s bubbly. Napoleon visited the House several times and awarded Jean-Remy the Légion d’honneur, one of France’s highest honors. Legends claim Napoleonic troops invented the tradition of using a saber to open bottles of Moët to celebrate victory.
As you might expect, Moët & Chandon takes great pains to preserve and tout its association with success and prestige. Nothing wrong with that when you can back it up with 270-plus years of quality. Today, Moët & Chandon is the largest estate in Champagne with 2,840 acres of parcels on rich chalk soil; half are grands crus and one-quarter are premiers crus. The parcels are scattered among the five main areas of Champagne: Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, Vallée de la Marne, Sézanne, and Aube. The chef de cave (maker of the wine) is Benoît Gouez.
Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial Champagne NV represents value and quality in the mass market. At its $50-52 price point, it is affordable real Champagne. Bright, vibrant, red-fruit delicious. With its red wine element, this is stout enough to pair with with red meats, along with the usual sparkling suspects. Sparkling wines are the most versatile food pairing wines there are. With its rich color and easy drinking qualities, works well as an aperitif, toasting wine at an event, gift wine.
