Precious Hidden Gem: Rose des Riceys Part-2

"Enthusiasts of the absolutely rare, welcome to Les Riceys!... A legendary wine, rare and precious, calm and with pedigree, whose wildflower, violet and hazelnut bouquet charmed the taste buds of the Sun King. Recognized as one of the best roses in France, it confirms to a draconian producer's charter, limiting the wine making to only the best harvests, and to 70,000 bottles per millesime. A pure concentration of exception!"

- Aube Tourist Route Guide

After working for the harvest in a village of Noe-les-Mallets in the southern part of Champagne, Cote des Bar, I said "au revoir" to my friends and headed to Reims, the capital of Champagne business. My plan was to stay there for 5 days and then 5 days in Epernay, another place not to be missed when visiting the region.

On the very first day in Reims, the very first place I went was not the famous Cathedral of Reims but a local wine shop, of course to pursuit my mission of finding a bottle of Rose des Riceys. Along with bottles after bottles of Champagne I had never seen, I finally found a bottle. "Vous avez mon Rose des Riceys!" I screamed and a French man behind the counter gave me a strange look. I tried to keep my composure and explained to him I had been looking for it for a very long time, about three years to be exact since the day first read about it in my book.

I flipped the bottle to check the price: 32 euro! A bottle of rose for 32 euro! Only the rose wines that can fetch price like that I know are the famous Provencal roses from Domaines Ott and Chateau Esclans as well as those from Bandol producers of Pibarnon and Tempier. Spending 32 euro for a bottle of rose I have no clue seemed to me a bit of gamble. I put the bottle back on the shelf and told the French man that I will be back to get it before I leave the town. "With 32 euro, I can buy two bottles of Champagne I've never tasted but should I get Rose des Riceys instead..." That was what went on my mind while wondering the town of Reims.

On the last day in Reims, I had a "rendez-vous" to visit Champagne Bruno Paillard. Although Champagne Bruno Paillard is not always easy to find here in the US, it is extremely well respected despite the house's relatively new history as a Negociant-Manipulant, which was established in 1981. One of the biggest fans of their Champagne is internationally famous French chef Joel Robuchon. Monsieur Paillard's young and lovely daughter, Alice took me around the property. As she was showing me the map of Champagne region, she asked me, "Have you tasted Rose des Riceys?" I said, "No, not yet. I was going to buy a bottle but it is 32 euro for a rose! I can buy two bottles of Champagne for that price." She looked at me and said, "I know it is not cheap and not many people know about it but it is a specialty of Champagne and you should take an advantage of this opportunity and taste it." Alice really convinced me and after she gave me a ride back to the center of Reims by her stylish silver Peugeot, I headed straight to the wine shop and purchased the bottle.

The bottle I bought was 2006 vintage from Champagne Veuve A. Devaux. Initially established in Epernay, Maison Veuve A. Devaux was purchased by Laurent Gillet, President of Union Auboise in 1987. Founded by a merger of 11 cooperatives, Union Auboise is currently run by 800 members of vine growers in the Cote des Bar, producing a wide range of Champagne.


Only 1,760 bottles of Rose des Riceys were produced by Veuve A. Devaux in the vintage of 2006 and each bottle was numbered by hand. The bottle I got was No. 243. With 11.5% alcohol, it showed salmon pink color with a tint of orange-copper. I was very nervous to put my nose in the glass, hoping it wouldn't disappoint me after all the effort I put into to find it. It had a very distinct nose of cherry, wild strawberry, raspberry, and apricot/yellow peach skin, along with notes of hibiscus and violet. On the palate, it exhibited fruit of cherry and cranberry with not high but balanced acidity and tiny bit of tannins to give it a structure.

There was nothing flashy about the wine but there was something very intriguing. I put my nose in the glass several times to see what exactly they were, though that was not quite easy to pin point. It was a mix of many things. Besides the unusual fruit aromas of wild strawberry and apricot/yellow peach skins, hints of hazelnut, and floral notes, there was something else ... like a smell of breeze I inhaled overlooking beautiful sunny hills of vineyards in the Champagne region.


The past three years I spent looking for a bottle of Rose des Riceys was like following a family tree and when I finally get to taste it made me feel as if I discovered a distant family member I've never met. It is wonderful to taste great Champagne with bubbles when visiting the region but don't forget to grab a bottle of Rose des Riceys. Like Alice from the Champagne Bruno Paillard said, you should take an advantage to taste this precious hidden gem, the other specialty from one of the most special places on the planet.


For more information about Les Riceys and Rose des Riceys:
http://www.lesriceys-champagne.com/
http://www.aube-champagne.com/fr/default.asp