90 Points, Tasting Panel Gold Medal, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Tasting Notes
Wild. Raw. Savage. Untamed since 1989. Gruet Sauvage Rosé is for the sparkling connoisseur who appreciates bone-dry acidity.
With zero dosage, Sauvage Rosé’s vibrant fruit flavors of wild strawberry and a hint of cherry really shine on the nose and palate and are complemented by bright acidity.
Appearance: Good effervescence with a beautiful pink hue
Specs
Variety Blend: 100% Pinot Nair
AVA: American
pH: 3.20
Acidity: 7.2 g/L
Alcohol: 12.5%
RS: 3.2 g/L
Aging: 24 months sur lees at release time
Gruet Brut Rosé Sparkling
Top 100 Values of 2018, Wine Spectator Featured Wine, Wall Street Journal
Tasting Notes
The wine’s color and taste were inspired from sparkling Rosés from around the world. The wine is made in the “Saignee” method by adding 2% still Pinot Noir to the blend to create the beautiful garnet pink color.
This Brut Rosé has a melon-mango color and tropical fruit, pineapple, orange, and pink grapefruit on the nose. Additional hints of spices like cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and clove. The cornucopia continues on the palate with custard, a real delicacy. The finish is long and round, a sweet kiss.
Founded in 1984, Gruet Winery specializes in Méthode Champenoise sparkling wines. Family-owned and run, the New Mexico-based winery produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay-based sparkling wines and a small collection of still wines, with roots originating from Gilbert Gruet’s Champagne house in Bethon, France. More than 25 vintages later, Gruet Winery has achieved unprecedented acclaim and remains a favorite of the nation’s top sommeliers.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
I’m not adding anything interesting to the conversation, but I was moving wine from basement to main floor on Sunday and thinking we hadn’t seen Sauvage in a minute. Thanks for reading my mind, casemates!
A few hours after receiving an email from Alice, a package showed up with this bottle and a nice surprise, a Casemates glass! @InFrom had gifted me a pair of glasses after seeing my posts trying to solicit one, LOL! I’ll have to return one or both now to InFrom!
Disclaimer, I had lost my sense of smell and taste a couple of years ago from Covid, and begged off ratting any wine. Both have finally come back to some extent, but bear in mind that my senses still aren’t 100% and every now and then they are completely bizarre.
As with many Casematers, Gruet is always an autobuy, and I’m sitting on a case of Brut and Sauvage from the last offering. I’ve had the Rose from a prior offering, brought the bottles to a house party and didn’t get to sample any so I can’t compare, but it was a huge hit and it went so quickly!
This bottle rested in the fridge and was super chilled upon opening. A clear salmon pink color almost matching the foil enclosure perfectly. I believe this is lighter in color than as I recall from the prior offering. A whiff from the open bottle crinkled my nose with the release of carbon dioxide and an acidic scent. I sampled it on its own without food accompaniment.
Upon the first pour, there was a lot of fizz on top and extremely small even sized bubbles. There was a slight aroma of strawberry. First taste while still chilled, was a bit acidic and tangy on the tongue, with muted strawberry and green apple. Tickled the tongue with a slight mineral aspect.
After about 10 minutes as it warmed slightly and opened up,the acidity eased, more bright red fruit emerged, a little savory, with a full mouth feel, and nice medium long finish. Fruity but very dry and bright, on the tart side, a little watermelon, citrus, raspberry nuance, and red cherry flavor adding to the mix, not one dimensional yet not overly complex. No bread or yeast noted. I found it very bubbly, yet pretty well balanced and crisp as it warmed a bit. I would say it’s medium to full bodied. If it comes in or near at the price point as in the past, it’s a no-brainer! It was delicious on its own, and it will match well with light appetizers and fare. Very enjoyable and I’m sure it will be a great crowd pleaser!
Much thanks to Alice, Dave, and the rest of the Casemates gang for bringing me back into the Rat fold.
P.S. I was just about to upload my Rattage when I noticed in the specs above that besides the typo, it read-
"Variety Blend: 79% Pinot Nair, 20% Chardonnay, 1% Merlot "
The back label states 100% Pinot Noir. I’m assuming the specs write-up was cut and paste from the prior release.
I also see that the tasting notes above is very different from my own sampling of this sparkler! YMMV!
P.S. I was just about to upload my Rattage when I noticed in the specs above that besides the typo, it read-
"Variety Blend: 79% Pinot Nair, 20% Chardonnay, 1% Merlot "
@InFrom@rjquillin@Winedavid49 I would think the back label would be accurate with the 100% Pinot Noir? The blend appears on the prior batch description and probably was just cut and pasted on their Website.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
Gruet Mixed Rosé Sparkling - $10 = 6.67%
Friday, I received a great surprise from Alice, I got a bottle of Gruet Sauvage Rosé Sparkling and a glass! We were having friends over for dinner on Saturday and we decided that would be a great time to taste our bottle. We had a cheese and fruit board to start our dinner and the Gruet Sauvage Rosé Sparkling paired very nicely with it. We tasted in flute glasses because of the bubbles!
The color is a beautiful pink and the nose is very nice, light, and slightly fruity. I tried the first sip and tasted ripe strawberry on the front and then it went into a slight citrus note. The wine paired very well with the soft cheese, dried figs, grapes, and nuts. It was also a nice conversation starter as we discussed the color, soft bubbles, and layers of taste. Thank you, Alice, for adding some entertainment to our dinner party. It was definitely a fun wine to start the evening. It is a very good value in the $20 range.
Like many here we are fans of Gruet and have purchased several times over the years. It was a nice surprise to get the UPS notification and then a bottle of Sauvage Rosé Sparkling just before a weekend packed with visiting family.
We shared tastes around and got the expected “bright”, “dry”, and “I taste some kind of fruit but I’m not sure what”. Ah well we can’t all be official Casemates taste-testers, can we?
As a fond drinker of Sauvage I sipped with enthusiasm… but was left underwhelmed. My impressions: chalk, a little stone fruit, “sweeter” than I expected (not sweet; it just seemed a little less dry). It was honestly hard to get a good impression through the thick froth of sharp bubbles. I did not detect any strawberry.
Later after the Sauvage warmed up and the effervescence faded some I tried again. The scent and flavors still felt muted, and there was a slightly astringent or bitter note.
Maybe it’s a grass-is-greener situation but I remember enjoying previous offerings much more than this one (in fact, bring back the non-Rosé Sauvage… i have very fond memories!) The Lab Rat review of the Brut Rosé sounds quite positive; if I buy a case this one may get earmarked for mimosas and champagne cocktails.
I was delighted to see an email from Alice a couple days ago informing me I would be a rat.
Thankfully UPS came at their usual time on the route and delivery was no issue.
My wife thought we hit the jackpot when she saw a bottle of Gruet Brut Rosé. Full disclosure, we always order one if not two cases of Gruet when it comes up, so we are familiar with the product. Ha.
We had a friend over for dinner who had not had it so we decided to do a three way tasting to see what we could come up with in a more noted setting rather then the usual pop and pour.
The color is a pale rose, medium bubbles on the pour.
My wife is the bubbles fan, and does prefer a rose. She and I both got floral notes on the nose while our friend got peaches. All three of us described it as a more delicate, fruity but dry, prominently strawberry.
Not a nuanced sparkling wine by any means, but something everyone can enjoy. And in fact, if it is in our house, an everyday drinker.
Even though we are very stocked at the moment (it’s wine membership shipping season) you can always use a case of everyday drinking bubbles in this house.
@Drez143
Wiki not always the best, by any means, but they do have some thoughts here
Cuvée is a French wine term that derives from cuve, meaning vat or tank. It has several different meanings depending on the type of wine being used. In reference to Champagne, cuvée refers specifically to the first-pressed (and most desired) juice; outside of bubbly, cuvée refers to a particular blend of a wine and typically of more than one grape variety.
In the past, Gruet has been an auto-buy for me, but in recent years I’ve found the quality to be hit-or-miss. These lab rat notes are helpful; would love more insights!
Obviously, the value cannot be beat, but I’m willing to pay double for a wine I’ll actually drink (and not be encouraged to turn into mimosas or what-have-you).
Just this evening, I finished a bottle of the Gruet Sweet Jolie, probably the only time I bought a “six pack” instead of a whole case, and now I wish I’d bought more. I was put off by “Demi Sec” and probably bought because of the beautiful label. So I’m a Gruet fan for as many years as it has been offered. No brainer to order this mixed case despite a preference for the regular Sauvage and what used to be their Blanc de Blanc.
This would be an autobuy for me if Indiana were on the shipping list. I have found Grief sparklers to be consistently delicious, drinkable wines that I love to share.
Sometimes I’m glad when the less-than-a-full-case penalty is low, as then I can feel better about just ordering the smaller quantity.
/giphy distracted-tarnished-loss
Gruet Sauvage Rosé Sparkling
90 Points, Tasting Panel
Gold Medal, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Tasting Notes
Specs
Gruet Brut Rosé Sparkling
Top 100 Values of 2018, Wine Spectator
Featured Wine, Wall Street Journal
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$323.88/Case for 6x Gruet Sauvage Rosé Sparkling + 6x Gruet Brut Rosé Sparkling at Elixir Wine Group
Not for sale online, $396/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, May 8 - Thursday, May 11
Gruet Mixed Rosé Sparkling
6 bottles for $74.99 $12.50/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Gruet Sauvage Rosé
Gruet Brut Rosé
I’m not adding anything interesting to the conversation, but I was moving wine from basement to main floor on Sunday and thinking we hadn’t seen Sauvage in a minute. Thanks for reading my mind, casemates!
Gruet NV Brut Rose
A few hours after receiving an email from Alice, a package showed up with this bottle and a nice surprise, a Casemates glass! @InFrom had gifted me a pair of glasses after seeing my posts trying to solicit one, LOL! I’ll have to return one or both now to InFrom!
Disclaimer, I had lost my sense of smell and taste a couple of years ago from Covid, and begged off ratting any wine. Both have finally come back to some extent, but bear in mind that my senses still aren’t 100% and every now and then they are completely bizarre.
As with many Casematers, Gruet is always an autobuy, and I’m sitting on a case of Brut and Sauvage from the last offering. I’ve had the Rose from a prior offering, brought the bottles to a house party and didn’t get to sample any so I can’t compare, but it was a huge hit and it went so quickly!
This bottle rested in the fridge and was super chilled upon opening. A clear salmon pink color almost matching the foil enclosure perfectly. I believe this is lighter in color than as I recall from the prior offering. A whiff from the open bottle crinkled my nose with the release of carbon dioxide and an acidic scent. I sampled it on its own without food accompaniment.
Upon the first pour, there was a lot of fizz on top and extremely small even sized bubbles. There was a slight aroma of strawberry. First taste while still chilled, was a bit acidic and tangy on the tongue, with muted strawberry and green apple. Tickled the tongue with a slight mineral aspect.
After about 10 minutes as it warmed slightly and opened up,the acidity eased, more bright red fruit emerged, a little savory, with a full mouth feel, and nice medium long finish. Fruity but very dry and bright, on the tart side, a little watermelon, citrus, raspberry nuance, and red cherry flavor adding to the mix, not one dimensional yet not overly complex. No bread or yeast noted. I found it very bubbly, yet pretty well balanced and crisp as it warmed a bit. I would say it’s medium to full bodied. If it comes in or near at the price point as in the past, it’s a no-brainer! It was delicious on its own, and it will match well with light appetizers and fare. Very enjoyable and I’m sure it will be a great crowd pleaser!
Much thanks to Alice, Dave, and the rest of the Casemates gang for bringing me back into the Rat fold.
P.S. I was just about to upload my Rattage when I noticed in the specs above that besides the typo, it read-
"Variety Blend: 79% Pinot Nair, 20% Chardonnay, 1% Merlot "
The back label states 100% Pinot Noir. I’m assuming the specs write-up was cut and paste from the prior release.
I also see that the tasting notes above is very different from my own sampling of this sparkler! YMMV!
@irenegade Nice review, and please, keep the glasses!!
@InFrom @irenegade
@winedavid49
Any thoughts or additional info on this?
“The back label states 100% Pinot Noir.”
@InFrom @rjquillin @Winedavid49 I would think the back label would be accurate with the 100% Pinot Noir? The blend appears on the prior batch description and probably was just cut and pasted on their Website.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
Gruet Mixed Rosé Sparkling - $10 = 6.67%
No-Brainer…Thanks WineDavid!!
famous-navigable-ghost
Variety Blend: 100% Pinot Nair (interesting for the Savage selection)
Gruet Sauvage Rosé Sparkling
Friday, I received a great surprise from Alice, I got a bottle of Gruet Sauvage Rosé Sparkling and a glass! We were having friends over for dinner on Saturday and we decided that would be a great time to taste our bottle. We had a cheese and fruit board to start our dinner and the Gruet Sauvage Rosé Sparkling paired very nicely with it. We tasted in flute glasses because of the bubbles!
The color is a beautiful pink and the nose is very nice, light, and slightly fruity. I tried the first sip and tasted ripe strawberry on the front and then it went into a slight citrus note. The wine paired very well with the soft cheese, dried figs, grapes, and nuts. It was also a nice conversation starter as we discussed the color, soft bubbles, and layers of taste. Thank you, Alice, for adding some entertainment to our dinner party. It was definitely a fun wine to start the evening. It is a very good value in the $20 range.
Auto buy! In for 2!
/giphy lifeless-incandescent-letter
Sauvage Rosé Sparkling
Like many here we are fans of Gruet and have purchased several times over the years. It was a nice surprise to get the UPS notification and then a bottle of Sauvage Rosé Sparkling just before a weekend packed with visiting family.
We shared tastes around and got the expected “bright”, “dry”, and “I taste some kind of fruit but I’m not sure what”. Ah well we can’t all be official Casemates taste-testers, can we?
As a fond drinker of Sauvage I sipped with enthusiasm… but was left underwhelmed. My impressions: chalk, a little stone fruit, “sweeter” than I expected (not sweet; it just seemed a little less dry). It was honestly hard to get a good impression through the thick froth of sharp bubbles. I did not detect any strawberry.
Later after the Sauvage warmed up and the effervescence faded some I tried again. The scent and flavors still felt muted, and there was a slightly astringent or bitter note.
Maybe it’s a grass-is-greener situation but I remember enjoying previous offerings much more than this one (in fact, bring back the non-Rosé Sauvage… i have very fond memories!) The Lab Rat review of the Brut Rosé sounds quite positive; if I buy a case this one may get earmarked for mimosas and champagne cocktails.
NV Brut Rosé
I was delighted to see an email from Alice a couple days ago informing me I would be a rat.
Thankfully UPS came at their usual time on the route and delivery was no issue.
My wife thought we hit the jackpot when she saw a bottle of Gruet Brut Rosé. Full disclosure, we always order one if not two cases of Gruet when it comes up, so we are familiar with the product. Ha.
We had a friend over for dinner who had not had it so we decided to do a three way tasting to see what we could come up with in a more noted setting rather then the usual pop and pour.
The color is a pale rose, medium bubbles on the pour.
My wife is the bubbles fan, and does prefer a rose. She and I both got floral notes on the nose while our friend got peaches. All three of us described it as a more delicate, fruity but dry, prominently strawberry.
Not a nuanced sparkling wine by any means, but something everyone can enjoy. And in fact, if it is in our house, an everyday drinker.
Even though we are very stocked at the moment (it’s wine membership shipping season) you can always use a case of everyday drinking bubbles in this house.
Thanks for the opportunity! Cheers!
Generic question here.
Local wineries to me are heavy on “Cuvée’s”.
What’s the difference that and a sparkling wine?
@Drez143
Wiki not always the best, by any means, but they do have some thoughts here
Cuvée is a French wine term that derives from cuve, meaning vat or tank. It has several different meanings depending on the type of wine being used. In reference to Champagne, cuvée refers specifically to the first-pressed (and most desired) juice; outside of bubbly, cuvée refers to a particular blend of a wine and typically of more than one grape variety.
In the past, Gruet has been an auto-buy for me, but in recent years I’ve found the quality to be hit-or-miss. These lab rat notes are helpful; would love more insights!
Obviously, the value cannot be beat, but I’m willing to pay double for a wine I’ll actually drink (and not be encouraged to turn into mimosas or what-have-you).
/giphy teeny-mischievous-toothbrush
Just this evening, I finished a bottle of the Gruet Sweet Jolie, probably the only time I bought a “six pack” instead of a whole case, and now I wish I’d bought more. I was put off by “Demi Sec” and probably bought because of the beautiful label. So I’m a Gruet fan for as many years as it has been offered. No brainer to order this mixed case despite a preference for the regular Sauvage and what used to be their Blanc de Blanc.
This would be an autobuy for me if Indiana were on the shipping list. I have found Grief sparklers to be consistently delicious, drinkable wines that I love to share.
@cathyk39
grieving
Sometimes I’m glad when the less-than-a-full-case penalty is low, as then I can feel better about just ordering the smaller quantity.
/giphy distracted-tarnished-loss
Gruet has always been great. I’m in for 6.
/giphy official-bowed-soup
