Champagne Barons de Rothschild

Edit: 27/07/24 Since writing this article, the Champagne has a new name. It is now known as Champagne Barons de Rothschild Concordia Brut NV.

Champagne Barons de Rothschild brings together three branches of the world-famous Rothschild family under the name Maisons Barons de Rothschild. The Rothschild name is synonymous with excellence and quality in the wine world and the Rothschild family produces some of the most prestigious, and desirable, wines in the world. This enterprise brings together three wine-making branches of the family for, I believe, the first time – Baroness Philippine (Chateau Mouton), Baron Eric (Chateau Lafite) & Baron Benjamin (Chateau Clarke).

Champagne Barons de Rothschild has teamed up with some of the best Champagne growers who have some of the best terroirs for Champagne grape production which cover some 70 hectares of vineyards in the heart of the Cote de Blancs and Montagne de Reims regions. 

The Rothschild Champagne is only made from the tête de cuvée, the juice from the first pressing of the grapes, whilst the tailles, juice made from the second and even third pressings is sold off to other producers. So perhaps this can be considered a prestige cuvée. The Rothschild Champagne is a rich and complex wine and is made by blending wines that have been aged for at least three years. It is a blend of 60% Chardonnay sourced from mainly Grand Cru vineyards in the Cote de Blancs and 40% Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier from vineyards located in Verzenay, Ay, Mareuil-sur-Ay and Bouzy. The house style is dominated by Chardonnay which helps to create the refined and daring  Brut. The wines also owe their maturity and style to the use of 40% reserve wines in the blend, a relatively low level of dosage and long ageing time after disgorgement (6 to 9 months) prior to release.

Champagne Barons de Rothschild Tasting Notes

The Rothschild Brut NV is a good, clear, pale golden colour with very fine bubbles and persistent, abundant foam. The nose demonstrates aromas of pear, nuts (almonds), floral blossom-y notes and hints of toast / brioche. The palate is strong and complex, well-rounded, powerful yet constrained. It has good length and a crisp, dry and clean finish. Although Barons de Rothschild Brut Champagne is great as an aperitif is is also a really good food wine. It is a very good match to pan-seared scallops or shellfish and also chicken and other white meats. Champagne is also a good food / wine match for cheese, try this with Brie de Meaux or Chaource.

Champagne Barons de Rothschild / Prooftag System

Each bottle of Rothschild Champagne carries the Prooftag authentication system, a sticker with a QR code and a numerical code (known as the bubble code or Codes a Bulles) on the neck of the bottle. So you can scan the QR code with your smartphone or enter the numerical code at the Champagne Barons de Rothschild website to check the authenticity of your bottle. This is intended to help protect against fraud and counterfeiting of this Champagne. Krug Champagne bottles have a Champagne Krug ID Number that can be checked in a similar way.