Ratings and Reviews

“This wine exudes class. It displays a wonderful pale pink colour with apricot and copper hue as well as tiny persistent bubbles. Aromas are delicate and refined including a combination of fresh berry fruits, toast, wild flowers and yeasty notes. On the palate it has wonderful creamy texture (two years on the lees have certainly contributed to the textural softness), attractive savoury complexity and a wonderful refreshing finish.”

“A generous and expressive style, with a fine mousse. Lovely creamy texture on the palate with enticing ripe fruit notes and good acidity.”

“Sleek and luxurious, with expressive Asian pear, strawberry blossom and roasted hazelnut flavors that build richness on an opulent finish. Drink now through 2020.”

“This is the fifth release of L’Ermitage Rosé since its introduction with the 1999 vintage, and the cool 2011 season earned the wine’s third 95-point score. Arnaud Weyrich selects the fruit for this top cuvée from Roederer’s 580-acre vineyard, planted and farmed for sparkling wine. What sets L’Ermitage apart is the purity of its fruit, completely present and yet delicate, a ghosting of raspberry and currant flavor. Weyrich brings out that fruit essence and achieves the color of the wine by blending in a small portion of still wine from Pinot Noir, taking those grapes through an extended cold soak, then finishing their fermentation off the skins to capture the fruit rather than the tannins. Seven years on the lees has taken that fruit in a savory direction, a gentle evocation of the forest mists of Anderson Valley with an undertow of ethereal raspberry flavor.”

“Pretty red fruit introduces this wine, with hints of rose and cranberry (it’s 40 percent pinot noir, the balance chardonnay). The flavors are bright and juicy, edged with a little baking spice, then ending on gentle notes of tart lemon and white flowers. An elegant start to a dinner party.”

“Festive and luxurious, with polished orange blossom, strawberry and roasted hazelnut accents that dance on the long finish. Drink now.”

“Luxurious and layered, this nicely mature wine has a broad range of complex aromas and flavors, from fig to mushroom to butter and baking spices that ride a supple texture and linger for a long finish. The very fine bead, plush texture and a creamy richness that verges on sweetness are practically irresistible. Best through 2025.”

“Delicate and maturing beautifully, with rose petal, strawberry, roasted nut and brioche flavors that sail on the elegant finish. Drink now.”

“Extravagant, yet balanced and refined, with lush, crisp brioche, fresh ginger and spice, roasted hazelnut and Asian pear flavors that fan out on the lengthy finish. Drink now through 2020. From California.”

“When Jean-Claude Rouzaud searched out a site for Roederer’s California sparkling wine estate, he settled on a cool spot for chardonnay and pinot noir — where vines could deliver flavor depth in their grapes before sugars rose to levels unsuited for sparkling wine. This 2011 is a vindication of that decision, a fragrant, elegant sparkling wine from a cool season, with flavor depth that sets it apart. Notes of fresh apple, honeysuckle and jasmine layer over an herbal austerity that tightens up the wine’s fruit, ending savory. That length of flavor is amplified by a small addition of reserve wines (four percent), aged five years in oak. Arnaud Weyrich blended it in a style formed and determined by its site, resulting in an honest, clean sparkler destined to become a classic.”