We tasted: Amour de Deutz Rosé 2009

Founded in 1838 by William Deutz and Pierre-Hubert Geldermann, two German immigrants from Aachen (close to the border with Belgium), Deutz is now an international famous champagne house based in Aÿ. Since the beginning, the philosophy of the house was based on two concepts: maintaining a constant purity and elegance for all its cuvées and betting on foreign markets. Deutz has been well received both in UK (exporting up to 600,000 bottles at peak) and USA, and established a good commercial relation with the Russian tsars and Prussian emperors. It was not surprising when in July 1887, Deutz was the champagne served for the Queen Victoria’s 50 years on the throne celebration. In 1911, the house became the official champagne of the Spanish monarchy despite their headquarters having been set on fire and destroyed to ashes during the Champagne Riots.

In 1983, the house which was owning 3 km of cellars (on the hills of Aÿ) and 42 hectares of vineyards, producing around 2,5 millions bottles each year, was acquired by the Rouzaud family, owner of another notorious champagne house, Louis Roederer. The “Amour de Deutz” and “William Deutz” are the cuvées prestige of the house and represent the purest expression of Deutz.

We were delighted in October 2020 by the tasting of “Amour de Deutz” rosé 2009, as we discovered a superb champagne. It’s quite rare to find such a perfect balance between the fragility, the purity and the elegance of a cuvée. The magic clarity is based on fermentation at low temperatures, to preserve aromatics, and the ban of oak barrels, to ensure the crystalline results, without any foreign alterations. The outstanding champagne, the beautiful bottle (transparent glass, stylized label and exquisite pink gold plated capsule that can be used as a medallion) are bonded together, offering a stellar tasting experience. The nose is gently possessed by the slightly stewed red fruits, refined minerality and sublime vanilla scents. On the palate it generously reveals its splendid elegance and complexity with seductive notes of red berries, cassis, peach, honey, vanilla and hints of caramel. The diaphanous mousse is conquering the mouth with tiny yet lively small bubbles. The aftertaste is fresh, long and graceful. This cuvée was one of the most stylish we ever tasted.