One of the things I really like about Vintage Gardens' website catalog is their drawings that show what mature cultivars within different rose categories look like without leaves (a few are shown here). This is more informative than the typical height (and sometimes width) given in most catalogs. Of course, everything depends upon where a rose is grown, and how it is pruned and shaped - which can be done to taste, but is more often necessitated by climate due to winter die back, as you point out. Though it's nice to see the whole plant in a catalog, even if it's just a suggestive sketching.
Zuzu, I hope I haven't wandered too far off the topic, but didn't think you'd mind since you created a separate forum for garden tours.
