Winemaking

200-Year Tradition of Fine Winemaking

Building on a 200-year tra­di­tion of fine winemak­ing, Roederer Estate Brut was the first Cal­i­for­nia sparkling wine pro­duced by Cham­pagne Louis Roed­er­er, the French Cham­pagne house.

It debuted in Octo­ber 1988 and has since estab­lished its rep­u­ta­tion as one of California’s pre­mier sparklers, remain­ing true to the her­itage of excel­lence and style of its French origins. Roederer’s winemak­ing style is based on two ele­ments: own­er­ship of its vine­yards and the addi­tion of oak-aged reserve wines to each year’s blend, or cuvée.

All the grapes are grown on the Estate: each year, the wine­mak­er selects a por­tion of the best wines for aging in large French oak casks (1,200 to 1,800 gallons each). Aged on average 4 years, wines from this reserve cel­lar are added to the blend, cre­at­ing a mul­ti-vin­tage cuvée in the tra­di­tion­al Roed­er­er style, known for its body, finesse and depth of fla­vor. The profile is fresh and live­ly, with light pear, citrus and graham cracker aromas. The extended aging on the lees enhances the creamy texture for a lingering, clean and delicate finish.

The Beauty Of Blending

The clas­sic method as prac­ticed in Cham­pagne involves sev­er­al steps that occur before the sec­ond fer­men­ta­tion. For exam­ple, the press­ing to extract juice for the first fer­men­ta­tion must be con­duct­ed with metic­u­lous care to pre­vent the grape skins’ bit­ter fla­vors — and col­or, in the case of black grapes — from seeping into the juice. Equally impor­tant to the qual­i­ty of the sparkling wine is the pro­duc­tion of the base wine for the sec­ond fermentation.

Fol­low­ing the first fer­men­ta­tion, the wines of dif­fer­ent grape vari­eties and vine­yards are kept in sep­a­rate lots. To cre­ate the base wine, or cuvée, the wine­mak­er blends these sep­a­rate wines in vary­ing pro­por­tions, often adding some reserve wine (old­er wine intentionally held back from pre­vi­ous vin­tages). 100 to 200 dif­fer­ent wines may go into the cuvée, each one bring­ing its own char­ac­ter to the blend. This step is a true testament to the winemaker’s experience: producing a base wine that will shine once it has transformed into a sparkling wine.

Méth­ode Traditionnelle

The centuries-old tech­nique of con­duct­ing a sec­ond fer­men­ta­tion in the bot­tle is called the clas­sic or traditional method in Europe. In the US, this process is called the Cham­pagne method or Méth­ode Champenoise. 

Second fermentation in the bottle is a time-consuming and invariably costly process whereby each bot­tle becomes an indi­vid­ual fer­men­ta­tion vessel. At Roederer Estate, giving the necessary time for the bottled wine to age with its yeast sediment is an investment that results in a wider depth of aromas and flavors: brioche, toasty, and creamy are the usual descriptors. After riddling, when the yeast sediment has gathered in the neck of the bottles, each one is opened individually, disgorged of their dead yeast and inserted with a cork.

Reserve Wine Program

The expression of the house style comes from specific choices in the winemaking process and Roederer Estate has carried on the legacy of its French heritage. As the winemaker carefully ranks the wines from each harvest, some of the finest lots are selected for further aging in French oak casks. While kept in these large wood tanks, the wine develops in complexity — a combination of gentle oak extraction and very slow oxygenation. The oak tannins build the body while the micro-oxygenation gives a sense of richness.

Each Roederer Estate cuvée is comprised of several lots of wine from one ​“base” vintage, blending in an additional 12% of select vintages from the oak casks. As such, these wines are multi-vintage blends, guaranteeing house style and consistency. For L’Ermitage, our vintage cuvée, reserve wines from casks are used at proportions less than 5% to maintain vintage designation. Cask-aged wines are also used to prepare the dosage, the final balancing act that follows disgorgement.