Barons de Rothschild: Blanc de Blancs, Rosé, Triptyque, Rare or Le Grand Clos — which Rothschild champagne should you choose?

For one hundred and fifty years, the Rothschilds of Lafite, Mouton and Clarke cultivated their distinct identities in Bordeaux. In 2005, they decided to do something together — and it wasn’t Bordeaux. Barons de Rothschild is the champagne that brings the three branches together: a small range, dominated by Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, aged for a long time and with minimal dosage, under the motto ‘Concordia, Industria, Integritas’. This guide reviews the five cuvées available in our cellar, detailing what’s in the glass and the prices observed.

Barons de Rothschild: the name, and what lies behind it

The house is young, but it is not starting from scratch: 85 per cent of its grapes come from grands crus and premiers crus — Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Trépail and Vertus on the Côte des Blancs for the Chardonnay; Aÿ, Verzenay, Ambonnay and Avenay on the Montagne de Reims for the Pinot Noir. Cellar master Guillaume Lété vinifies each plot individually, ages the wines for at least four years and uses a low dosage (6 g/L for the brut). The result is a style characterised by purity and tension, closer to a great white wine than a festive champagne. Our article on the Champagne classification explains the significance of these villages.

The range at a glance

Blanc de Blancs: the cuvée that defines the house

The Blanc de Blancs (€82) is the Barons de Rothschild that you simply must try: a Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, pale in colour with green highlights, a stream of bubbles of rare finesse, fresh citrus and exotic fruits on the initial nose, followed by brioche, toasted almond and damp chalk as it opens up; silky, mineral and fresh on the palate. This is a Blanc de Blancs from a prestigious house, comparable to Salon or the Comtes de Champagne — younger, more affordable, and a gift that needs no explanation (see our gift sets). Our other Blanc de Blancs are available here.

Rosé: the delicacy of Chardonnay

The Rosé (€73) reverses the usual formula: Chardonnay makes up the majority of the blend, whilst Pinot Noir is used only sparingly, vinified as a red to contribute colour and fruit. The result is a delicate colour, with aromas of fresh red berries, rose petals and grapefruit, fine bubbles and a mineral freshness — a rosé more suited to a gourmet meal than as an aperitif, perfect with fish, carpaccio or poultry. Our other rosés help to put this one into context.

Triptyque 2018: three grape varieties, three vintages, three terroirs

Triptyque 2018 (€99) is the house’s most original creation: a vintage wine that brings together the three Champagne grape varieties, three harvest years and three great terroirs in a single cuvée — a blending exercise taken to the highest level, aged at length on its lees. Chalky tension, fruity depth, floral elegance: structured and harmonious, it is the Barons de Rothschild of the dining table, and a bottle that’s sure to spark conversation at a dinner party. Our other vintage wines are listed in the catalogue.

Rare Blanc de Blancs 2014: the prestige cuvée

The Rare Blanc de Blancs 2014 (€316) is the quintessence of the style: the finest Grand Cru Chardonnays from the Côte des Blancs, a very limited production, and a long ageing on lees. Ripe citrus fruits, white flowers, minerality, a fresh, briny and elegant finish — a champagne of purity and precision, intended for discerning connoisseurs, as the house puts it, and for those special occasions. A bottle to keep in the cellar.

Le Grand Clos 2019: the Vertus monopole

Le Grand Clos 2019 (€688) is a real treat: behind walls over two hundred years old, in the heart of the Vertus premier cru, lies a plot planted before the First World War and acquired by the family in 2013, vinified and marketed on its own for the first time. A single-vineyard Chardonnay, the most intimate expression of the house’s terroir, unveiled, she says, only when it was deemed ready. Much like Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses, it is a single-vineyard champagne before it is a branded champagne — two bottles in the cellar, for collectors.

Which Barons de Rothschild cuvée for which occasion?

Aperitif: Blanc de Blancs. Meal: Rosé with fish, Triptyque 2018 with poultry or veal. Corporate gift: the name does half the job — Blanc de Blancs as a standard choice, Triptyque for an important client, Rare 2014 for a key partner; our article on champagne as a corporate gift sets out the appropriate uses. Cellar: Rare 2014 and Le Grand Clos 2019, for ten to fifteen years; the others are best enjoyed within five years.

Serving and storage

Serve the Blanc de Blancs and the Rosé at 8–9 °C in a tulip-shaped glass; Triptyque, Rare and Le Grand Clos at 10–11 °C in a white wine glass, opened half an hour beforehand. Store bottles lying down, in the dark, at between 10 and 12 °C (our advice). The prices shown are those recorded in our cellar on the date of publication; Rare and Le Grand Clos are available in limited quantities.