Telmont Réserve Rosé Champagne 75cl

Telmont's Réserve Rosé is a Chardonnay-dominant pink champagne — around 87% Chardonnay and 13% Meunier — coloured by red wine from the house's own Damery vineyards. That Chardonnay backbone is unusual for a rosé and it shows: this is a taut, fresh style rather than a jammy one.

Telmont has become Champagne's most vocal environmentalist, converting to organic viticulture, running on renewable energy, dropping gift boxes and refusing to air-freight a single bottle. The rosé is drawn from several harvests and finished with a low dosage, keeping it firmly in brut territory.

In the glass it's pale coral with a fine bead. The nose opens on fresh red fruit — morello and Montmorency cherry, raspberry — with orange zest, a little quince and a brush of brioche. The palate is creamy and gently spiced, with medium acidity giving it lift and a clean, red-fruited close. Gastronomic rather than merely pretty.

At around £70 it earns its keep as a rosé you can serve through a meal, not just wave around at a celebration. Chardonnay-led rosé champagne like this is genuinely food-friendly.

How to Serve

Serve at 6–8°C in a white-wine glass. The extra room helps the cherry and brioche notes open, which a thin flute would smother.

Where to Drink It

Scott's in Mayfair with a seafood platter. J Sheekey for the same reason, later at night. Brat in Shoreditch if you want the fire and the char alongside it.

Food Pairings

Try it with seared tuna or salmon, or a plate of charcuterie where the red fruit meets the salt head-on.