Moët & Chandon Champagne Brut Impérial Rosé Étui

Under the leadership of its brilliant cellar master, Benoît Gouez, Moët has evolved without compromising its core values: fruitiness, balance, just the right level of approachability, and a captivating aging potential, all within a fresh style that strives for precision. The cuvées have moved away from dosage, in step with advances in viticulture and cutting-edge technical research. The wines reveal an extra dimension. The house’s flagship wines, Imperial and Rosé Imperial, are champagnes of impressive aromatic precision and finesse. The blends are meticulously crafted. The vintages display a distinctive stylistic signature, as exemplified by the latest 2013, an atypical yet remarkably successful vintage. The “grande maison” is in fine form.

One of the oldest Champagne houses, founded in 1743 by Claude Moët, a vineyard owner. In the early 19th century, his grandson Jean-Rémy expanded the company’s reach internationally, with the help of his son-in-law Pierre-Gabriel Chandon de Briailles. Their heirs built on the brand’s success, making it the best-known and best-selling Champagne in the world. Today, Moët & Chandon—with 1,190 hectares of vineyards across 234 crus (50% of which are grand cru) and 28 kilometers of cellars—continues to expand as part of the powerful LVMH group. These ambitions came to fruition in 2012 with the inauguration, at the Mont Aigu site in Oiry at the foot of the Côte des Blancs, of a vast, contemporary-style winemaking facility, which complements its historic facilities in Épernay. Benoît Gouez has served as cellar master since 2005.

With its grenadine-colored hue, the nose opens with bold spices, black pepper, and ginger. Next come crushed raspberries, blueberries, and grenadine syrup. You might even find yourself strolling through a forest in the moors among maritime pines. On the palate, the texture provides structure to the whole. The bubbles are lively, and the finish is marked by Amarena cherries. A juicy, indulgent champagne, ideal with a raspberry tart.

A beautiful coppery, brick-red rosé; the nose reveals notes of cherry and morello cherry, with lovely complexity blending rosewood, forest floor, and a hint of autumn. The palate is dignified, with lovely texture and density: a full-bodied, balanced, and flavorful wine.

LVMH is the most powerful player in the Champagne region, thanks to the size of its vineyards (approximately 1,200 hectares—just a quarter of its needs!) and the reach of its brands (Moët, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart, Krug, Mercier). Within this portfolio, Moët is the world’s best-selling champagne, with the Brut Impérial as its flagship, accounting for 85% of its production. Under the guidance of the excellent cellar master Benoît Gouez, Moët demonstrates impressive consistency given the volumes produced. These creamy wines, with their toasty and citrusy notes, appeal to consumers wherever they are in the world. Alongside the Brut Impérial, the house produces Grand Vintages that gain in definition and depth with each successive vintage.