Veuve Clicquot Cave Privee Rose 1990 750ml

Climatically, the year was similar to 1989. After a damp, mild winter, the buds burst almost a month early. The vineyards were therefore at risk from spring frost, which came in two waves on the 5th and 19th April, affecting almost 12,000 hectares. The flowering came in the first two weeks of June, in cooler weather.

With July, summer came to last. If temperature and rainfall were normal, the hours of sunshine were by comparison, quite exceptional: almost 2,100 hours, a record for the last 30 years. As the harvest drew near, sugar content rose rapidly while acidity maintained a good level.

Picking started in the second week of September for Chardonnay, a week later for the Pinot Noir and Meunier. The balance of the must was remarkable, with an average degree above 10°5GL and acidity of 8 g/l. Save for a few areas of Chardonnay affected by botrytis, the quality of all three grape varieties was uniformly superb.

The Cave Privée Rosé 1990 is a blend of 17 different Crus, all classified as Grands and Premiers Crus. It is a blend of 47% Pinot Noir, 9% Meunier and 27% Chardonnay. The addition of 17% red wine from Bouzy from our own production using grapes from our vines completed the blend.