Théophile Brut Rosé is made from 1/3 Pinot Noir, 1/3 Chardonnay and 1/3 Pinot Meunier. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay come from Louis Roderer’s younger vines (8-10 years), while some Pinot Meunier grapes are bought from regular suppliers in the Vallée de la Marne and west of the Montagne de Reims. The blend consists of four different vintages and after a partial malolactic fermentation, the wine is added with a little red wine from the Mareuil sur Aÿ area and finally fermented in the bottle for min. two years. After disgorging, the wine remains for another 6 months in the cellar. The wine is added approx. 30% Reserve wines from older vintages, something like e.g. gives it a distinctive and personal character. In terms of colour, the wine has a nice, light, pink hue. The aroma is clean and immediate, with notes of red apples, a little raspberry and citrus at the end. The taste is crisp and at the same time bold, with good body and a good balance between the sweetness of fruit and dryness in the aftertaste. It will be perfect as an aperitif, with salmon and poultry made in Asian style. It can also be served with mild white or red cheeses.
The champagne house Théophile Roederer (founded 1864) was originally an independent wine house in Reims and owned by a (second) branch of the Roederer family. The company had its own cellars and fields in the area and in addition to producing fine champagnes, it also contributed a few quite unique posters, which are today classics in the Art Nouveau style.
The house’s Champagne Théophile (“Théo” among connoisseurs) gained enormous fame in 1930s Montparnasse in Paris, where it was “a must” for artists and other night owls in the neighborhood’s many cafés and cabarets. In its hometown of Reims, the company later became very famous for having hidden many persecuted people in its cellars during the German occupation.
After the war, the company was bought by the second branch of the Roederer family, Champagne Louis Roederer. However, Théophile continues to be produced in the style that originally made this champagne famous. It is not a “second brand” from Louis Roederer but an independent line, which today consists of the versions Brut and Brut Rosé.
