Valentine’s Day comes around once a year and brings its own unique charm that contrasts all other celebrations. Unlike Christmas or Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day celebrates love in and of itself. Whether it be with your significant other, a best friend, or an evening of self-care, it is the ideal opportunity to toast with Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé.
Since its inception in 1968 — the moment Laurent-Perrier reintroduced the art of non-vintage rosé to the world — Laurent-Perrier’s Cuvée Rosé has undoubtedly set the standard for what rosé champagne should be.
Is it the endless bubbles or the unmistakable salmon-pink color? Perhaps it’s the bottle that bears an iconic and instantly recognizable silhouette. For 56 years, Laurent-Perrier’s Cuvée Rosé has been the optimum Valentine’s Day choice. Best enjoyed throughout dinner out or perhaps an intimate celebration at home.
The trick to developing an iconic non-vintage champagne with proven staying power is consistency. While those buying vintage bottles expect variation between each year, the brilliance of Cuvée Rosé is its guaranteed excellence, with each bottle matching the exemplary quality of the last. While many have tried to emulate it, several reasons ensure Laurent-Perrier’s Cuvée Rosé is the only choice this Valentine’s.
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Becoming the benchmark
So what does it take to become the benchmark? Well, hard work and effective selection. Laurent-Perrier has developed its reputation when it comes to Cuvée Rosé by not cutting corners. Champagne is renowned for its laborious time-consuming process that often requires work by hand, and the rosé variety is no different.
Many of Laurent-Perrier’s competitors achieve their rosé champagne through blending. A small amount of red wine is added (usually 5-15%) to the freshly pressed white and black grape juice to achieve the desired color. While more common, this is regarded as a simpler, lower-quality method.
Cuvée Rosé utilizes a proprietary maceration technique. Here, 100% Pinot Noir grapes are in touch with their skins which ‘bleeds’ into the wine, producing that wonderous salmon pink color.
[See also: Laurent-Perrier Impresses with Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature]
The grapes are only in contact with the skins for 48-72 hours and must be checked every six hours for oenological development. While considerably more labor intensive than blending, it is partly why Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé sits above the competition.
In much the same vein as the labor-intensive methods, Laurent-Perrier also only selects its grapes from the finest plots. Selecting grapes grown in 10 different crus, mostly from the north and south of the Montagne de Reims — heralded for its Pinot Noir, such as the renowned Côte de Bouzy and its impressive crus of Ambonnay, Bouzy, Louvois, and Tours-sur-Marne.
To be regarded as the benchmark, you have to set the standard and live up to it. Achieving both these feats cements Laurent-Perrier’s Cuvée Rosé as the reigning champion of Valentine’s Day.
[See also: Why a Prestige Cuvée Should be Your Next Cellar Addition]
The perfect pairing
Classics are classics for a reason. It doesn’t matter what elaborate or ingenious idea you conjure up to make this Valentine’s Day better than ever; nothing beats an enjoyable dinner. It’s why it’s impossible to find a table anywhere on February 14. Of course, it doesn’t have to be a meal out; you can always cook an elaborate meal for yourself or others at home.
One thing you can always do to improve a dinner is make the correct wine selection. While many think of champagne and rosé champagne as a pre-dinner ritual, a bottle of Cuvée Rosé could be exactly what your Valentine’s meal requires.
The cornerstone of Cuvée Rosé is its high intensity, bright freshness and ripe red fruit aromas. Thanks to its aromatic depth, this sparkling wine makes an ideal accompaniment to raw fish, grilled prawns, exotic spices, cured meats, and red fruit desserts.
On the nose, you can expect fresh notes from a bouquet of red fruits: raspberry, redcurrant, strawberry and black cherry are all richly present. On the pallet, this supple, well-rounded wine adds its own fruity dimension, evoking the sensation of diving headfirst into a basket of freshly picked berries.
Be it the allure of this bottle’s iconic silhouette, its delectable freshness, or inviting color, Laurent-Perrier’s Cuvée Rosé represents the go-to this Valentine’s Day.
$100, laurent-perrier.com
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