A well-cut, minerally version, with a firm backbone of acidity and a lacy mousse, layered with flavors of baked currant, toast and lemon curd. Offers a racy, spiced finish. Disgorged January 2016. Drink now through 2028. — A.N.

Veuve have re-introduced partial barrel maturation with the 2008 vintage; five percent of the wines were aged in French oak casks to add seasoning and complexity to the final blend. There is a slight bronze tinge to the wine, with a subtle nose of tangerine and red berries and some oak creaminess too. The palate displays flavours of vanilla bean, mandarin and cranberry, and a really incisive finish. Well chiselled and complex, this is only in the first phase of a long life.

It had been a bit more than a year since I last tasted the 2008 Veuve Clicquot Vintage Brut Rosé and the wine continues to show very nicely. As readers may recall, this is the exact same wine as the regular 2008 vintage, but with fourteen percent still pinot noir included in the cépages of sixty-one percent pinot noir, thirty-five percent chardonnay and five percent pinot meunier. The wine was finished with a dosage of eight grams per liter. This is the first vintage at Clicquot to include a percentage of vins clairs that were barrel-fermented since the 1970s. The 2008 Rosé offers up a fine and precise bouquet of cherries, a touch of blood orange, a fine base of soil, gentle spice tones, fresh-baked bread and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and focused, with a good core, bright acids, frothy mousse and very good length and grip on the complex finish. This has lost a touch of the vibrancy it showed last spring and is not aging quite as well as I had hoped, but it remains a very well-made wine that is a notable step up in quality from the last vintage-dated Rosé that I tasted from the house. That said, I did overrate this just a touch a year ago. (Drink between 2017-2030)

92+ The 2008 Brut Vintage Rosé is showing well, exhibiting an inviting bouquet of berries, honeycomb, toasted brioche and plum preserve. Medium to full-bodied, it's chalkier and more incisive than its white counterpart, with a lively spine of acidity and a saline finish. Again, the vintage signature is just as prominent as the house style. - William Kelley

With an attractive touch of toastiness on this ripe wine, this is balanced and very ready to drink. In the house style, it is rich with a comparatively high dosage that gives it a soft character. Plenty of acidity and hints of red fruits provide a vibrant contrast. It is ready to drink.