Pink champagne is one of our favourite things here at Regional Wines and this special bottle comes from Ruinart, one of the oldest champagne houses still in existence today.  This gorgeous expression of pink champagne is made mostly from Pinot Noir, which makes up 55% of the blend, with the balance being 45% Chardonnay. Interestingly, nearly 20% of the Pinot Noir was vinified as red wine and blended into this complex, sensationally savoury style of wine. 

It is a multi vintage blend with between 20 to 25% overall from reserve wines made in the previous two vintages and blended with grapes from the current harvest. Complex flavours develop in these older wines while the retention of freshness is retained both by the high percentage of new wines and also the lees aging in bottle while the champagne is on tirage, following its second fermentation.  It's a complex process, which translates in the flavours of great champagnes, such as this one. 

Most of the grapes in this wine and those in all Ruinart champagnes are grown in the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims terroirs in Champagne.

* The House of Ruinart was first established in the Champagne region in 1729 and was inspired by a monk. 

La Grande Dame is one of the great champagnes and is a big, dry, toasty, full bodied wine, made from 90% Pinot Noir, which adds layers of savoury depths to this complex bubbly, and 10% Chardonnay. It is named in homage to the Grands Cru vineyards from which the grapes in this wine come, from Champagne villages Aÿ, Bouzy, Ambonnay, Verzy and Verzenay and 47% Chardonnay from Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. 

Its name also pays homage to the Grande Dame of Champagne, the late widow Clicquot, whose main legacy is to have left both the brand and the region in better condition than she found them, mostly famously by inventing riddling; the turning of the bottle to remove the yeast sediment into its neck, prior to disgorgement. This resulted in higher quality, cleaner, fresher bubbles in both look and taste. Her quest was quality and she is widely credited with having raised it significantly in the Champagne region and in the bottles it produces.

Superbly balanced Blanc de Blanc Champagne.

Serge Gallois is a small-scale grower-champagne (récoltant-coopérateur) situated in the famous "Côte des Blancs" area of Champagne, known for its chalky soils that bring finesse and elegance to the wines.  

This is a Premier Cru wine, meaning that the grapes are sourced from high quality cru-rated vineyards from the village of Vertue - one of the highest rated villages in the Côte des Blancs. This is made with 100% Chardonnay and matured for 3 years on lees before bottling.

Bright, fine bead, aromatic and delicate florals combine with autolytic notes of brioche, citrus and stonefruit on the nose and palate.  Lovely freshness and minerality."

One of the great pink champagnes, combining toasted red fruit flavours and the freshness of a great, complex wine with long lees ageing. Delicious. 

Champagne Laurent-Perrier was founded in 1812 by Andre Michel Pierlot and took the name Laurent-Perrier when Mathilde Emilie Perrier, the widow of Eugene Laurent, combined the two family names after she decided to expand the business.

Eugenie Hortense Laurent, her daughter, inherited the House in 1925 and sold it to Marie-Louise Lanson de Nonancourt in 1939.

Laurent-Perrier Brut NV is enjoyed for its creamy softness which comes from Chardonnay, the dominant grape in this elegant sparkling wine.

The Laurent-Perrier Champagne house was founded in 1812 and is the main company of the Laurent-Perrier Group, whose other flagship brands include the houses of Salon, De Castellane and Delamotte. Laurent-Perrier Group also acquired Chateau Malakoff in 2004.