Home › Wine Notes › Charles Clément
Charles Clément, Brut Rosé (NV)
Sparkling roséFranceNV
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-02-15 · Published 2026-09-21 · Updated 2026-09-21
At a glance
No published critic scores are listed on Vivino. Wine Enthusiast has reviewed another Charles Clément rosé (labeled "Cuvée des Vignerons"), but I could not confirm it's the same product as this bottle, so I'm not citing it here.
Market note: US$35 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026)
What this wine is
Charles Clément carries an individual's name, but it's actually a cooperative. On 29 September 1956, 22 growers in Colombé-le-Sec and neighboring villages (Colombé-la-Fosse, Saulcy) in the Aube — the southernmost edge of Champagne, France — pooled 18 hectares of vines and a single press. The first bottles went to market in 1972, and growers from nearby communes like Rouvres-les-Vignes and Lignol-le-Château kept joining over the years; today the cooperative counts roughly 60 growers farming 120 hectares together. A narrative of "a family house running back to 1918" isn't something I could confirm — this isn't a family estate at all, but a cooperative of village growers.
Charles Clément's home, the Côte des Bar in the Aube, is often the forgotten southern edge on maps of Champagne. Because it sat geographically apart from the Marne and Aisne districts, the Aube was excluded outright when the French government first delimited the official Champagne appellation in 1908. Aube's growers protested, insisting they were every bit as Champenois as their northern neighbors, and a few years later that grievance erupted into something far larger — the riots that shook the whole of Champagne in 1911. It wasn't until 1927 that the appellation boundary was redrawn to include the Aube, formally making the Côte des Bar part of Champagne.
What the world says
On Vivino, this rosé carries 276 ratings averaging 3.9 — 19 at five stars, 142 at four, 105 at three, clustering solidly in the upper-middle range. It ranks 236,402nd among 3.37 million French wines on the platform, but 7th among the 85 wines from Charles Clément — near the top of the producer's own lineup.
The flavor profile leads with red fruit — raspberry, strawberry — at 16 mentions, followed closely by green apple and pear (13), citrus (13), and an earthy group with mushroom (13). Structurally, both acidity and fizziness sit very high — 4.4/5 each — pointing to a bright, lively style.
"Simple, but quite worthy rosé: cherry pie with rose petals and strawberry jelly." — Vivino review, Mar 2024, 4.0 stars
"Great value. Served with cheese/charcuterie to start a lovely dinner. Lovely brut champagne with nice honey/light floral notes." — Vivino review, Aug 2017, 4.0 stars
No critic score is on file for this wine.
How I drank it
15 February 2020, 4.0 stars. I noted strawberry, citrus, apple blossom, apple, apricot and baking spice, but the line that stands out is this one: my wife, tasting alongside me, asked if this was actually a Moscato — the fruit was that pronounced. She meant it as a compliment about how ripe and grapey the aromas came across, the kind of impression you'd get from a sweet, fragrant Moscato d'Asti. I noted the bubbles as moderate and the palate as soft when held in the mouth.
My original note also named a specific retailer and price, which I'm leaving out here in keeping with this site's policy of never citing domestic retail prices or sellers — but the fact that I found it good value is worth keeping.
Placed next to other rosés from around the same period, this wine's standing gets clearer: Ruhlmann's Harmonie de Rosé Brut scored 3.0, Moët & Chandon's Impérial Rosé Brut scored 3.5 — this Charles Clément's 4.0 is the highest score any rosé Champagne has received in this magazine. That a relatively obscure cooperative label outscored well-known Grande Marque rosés says something on its own.
Where this wine shows up
When the 1908 Champagne appellation delimitation recognized only the Marne and Aisne districts and excluded the Aube, growers there — who considered themselves every bit as Champenois — protested. That grievance boiled over into the 1911 riots across Champagne (grape trucks intercepted, the village of Aÿ set ablaze), and it wasn't until 1927 that the boundary was redrawn to include the Aube. If Deutz, in Aÿ, was on the receiving end of that riot, this house's home region, the Aube, was on the side that set it off.
Wikipedia — Champagne Riots · VinePair — The Historic Riots That Defined the Champagne Region
Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.
Vivino community data
NV vintage rating distribution (276 ratings, average 3.9)
| 5★ | 19 (7%) | |
| 4★ | 142 (51%) | |
| 3★ | 105 (38%) | |
| 2★ | 7 (3%) | |
| 1★ | 3 (1%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Red fruit | 16 | raspberry 5 · strawberry 5 · cherry 2 · red currant 2 · red fruit 2 |
| Stone fruit & apple | 13 | green apple 7 · pear 4 · apple 2 |
| Citrus | 13 | citrus 7 · grapefruit 4 · lemon 2 |
| Earth | 13 | earthy 5 · mushroom 4 · honey 3 · minerals 1 |
| Bread & nuts (non-oak) | 10 | brioche 4 · almond 1 · biscuit 1 · hazelnut 1 · nutty 1 |
| Yeast & cream | 2 | yeast 2 |
| Vegetal | 1 | grass 1 |
Structure: Acidity 4.4/5 · Intensity 3.9/5 · Fizziness 4.4/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 276 ratings, average 3.9)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|
My original note (Vivino, 2020-02-15)
“strawberry citrus apple blossoms apple apricot baking spices 같이 먹는 와이프가 이거 모스카토 아니야?? 라고^^ 물어볼정도로 과실향이 그득~~ 기포는 적당함 머금었을때 부드러운 느낌~~ 떼루아에서 39에 판매중입니다~~ 가성비 좋아요^^”
See other wines Daniel scored 4.0 →
Read next
Swipe for more →
Same producerCharles Dauteuil Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru NV
France · Champagne★★★★½
Same producerCharles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2017
United States★★★★☆
Similar styleMoët & Chandon, Impérial Rosé Brut NV
France★★★½☆
Similar styleRuhlmann Crémant d'Alsace Rosé Brut 'Harmonie de Rosé'
France★★★☆☆
Same grapeRivers-Marie, Summa Vineyard Old Vines Pinot Noir 2009
United States · Sonoma★★★½☆
Same grapeDomaine Denis Bachelet, Gevrey-Chambertin 2003
France · Burgundy★★★★☆
Same grapeArnaud Mortet, Gevrey-Chambertin 2017
France · Burgundy★★★★☆
Same grapeClos du Val, Pinot Noir 2016 (Los Carneros)
United States · Napa★★★★☆
Same grapeVeuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label (Carte Jaune) NV
France · Champagne★★★★½
Same grapeSantero Pinot-Chardonnay Spumante Brut NV
Italy · Piedmont★★★½☆
Same grapeDomaine Antonin Guyon Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru 2013
France · Burgundy★★★☆☆
Highly rated by DanielAntinori, Tenuta Tignanello 'Solaia' 2012
Italy · Tuscany★★★★★More from Champagne, France
Swipe for more →
ChampagneDeutz, Brut Classic (NV)
★★★☆☆
ChampagneTaittinger, Brut Réserve (NV)
★★★★☆
ChampagneLouis Roederer, Brut Premier (NV)
★★★★☆
ChampagneDelamotte, Brut Champagne Grand Cru 'Le Mesnil-sur-Oger' (NV)
★★★★½
ChampagneKrug, Grande Cuvée (NV)
★★★★★ChampagneCharles Dauteuil Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru NV
★★★★½ChampagneVeuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label (Carte Jaune) NV
★★★★½
ChampagneDom Pérignon Vintage 2008
★★★★★Explore
Daniel's 5-star wines
Only the wines Daniel scored a perfect 5
→
Wines in manga, film and history
Bottles that show up in manga, film and history
→
Wines you can buy at the supermarket
Wines actually bought at the supermarket
→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Charles Clément Brut Rosé?
A non-vintage rosé Champagne from a cooperative house in Colombé-le-Sec, in the Côte des Bar (Aube) at the southern edge of Champagne. Founded in 1956 by 22 growers, it's now a cooperative of around 60 growers farming 120 hectares. A blend of Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; Vivino: 276 ratings averaging 3.9.
How much does it cost?
World average price pending (US$35 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026)) — Wine-Searcher access was blocked during this research.
What food pairs well with it?
Vivino users suggest pork, shellfish, rich fish (salmon, tuna) and mild soft cheese. With acidity at 4.4/5, it pairs naturally with appetizers of all kinds.
What is the Aube (Côte des Bar) in Champagne history?
Sitting apart from the Marne district, the Aube was initially excluded when the official Champagne appellation was delimited in 1908. Aube growers' anger over that exclusion helped set off the 1911 Champagne riots, and it wasn't until 1927 that the Aube was formally included in the Champagne appellation.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Champagne Charles Clément official — Notre Maison
- Wikipedia — Champagne Riots
- VinePair — The Historic Riots That Defined the Champagne Region
Read next
Swipe for more →
Same producerCharles Dauteuil Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru NV
France · Champagne★★★★½Same producerCharles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2017
United States★★★★☆Similar styleMoët & Chandon, Impérial Rosé Brut NV
France★★★½☆Similar styleRuhlmann Crémant d'Alsace Rosé Brut 'Harmonie de Rosé'
France★★★☆☆Same grapeRivers-Marie, Summa Vineyard Old Vines Pinot Noir 2009
United States · Sonoma★★★½☆Same grape