Champagne Abele 1757 Le Sourire de Reims Rose 2008

It certainly wasn't straightforward for a vintage hailed as one of Champagne's greatest triumphs.

This was the coldest year since the beginning of the century, not without challenging weather conditions. At the start of the year, just about every weather incident struck the vineyards, including heavy rain in January and February, a cool spell and snow in March and April, and spring frosts. Thankfully, with a highly mild May, the vines quickly made up any lost time.

It was a summer full of contrast, seeing stormy conditions in July and low sunshine hours in August.

The Riceys vineyards were fortunate to escape the precarious weather. For the growers, it was a fine, pleasant, and even vintage. This included the harvest, too, which took place in ideal conditions, with sunny, dry, windy days and cool nights, eradicating any threat of disease. The Pinot Noir was harvested perfectly ripe and in pristine condition. The grapes reveal a great concentration of anthocyanins. The quality of the grapes was exceptional, with perfectly balanced sugar and acid in the must.