Ratings and Reviews

“Instead of Napa or Sonoma, Champagne house Louis Roederer established
its sparkling wine outpost in Mendocino’s quiet Anderson Valley in 1982. Roederer Estate L’Ermitage 2007, the current release of the winery’s tête de cuvée, proves the location was a smart choice. The 2007 season was long and moderate, with plentiful fog. Winemaker Arnaud Weyrich used the estate’s best lots, blending roughly equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.”

“Very fruity and fresh in aroma, this elegant wine has light, crisp apple and lemon flavors, fresh-baked bread accents and lively acidity. A layered texture seems to blend in accents of almond and vanilla, increasing complexity with each sip. It’s one of California’s bluechip bubblies.”

“Impeccably refined and elegant, with floral aromas of fresh brioche, baked apple and roasted hazelnut. The flavors are layered and well-focused, showing notes of mineral, fresh ginger and subtle raspberry. Drink now through 2017.”

This impressive bubbly has apple, caramel and toffee aromas, melt-in-the-mouth Bosc pear and spice rack flavors, a rich but firm texture, and long finish. It possesses amazing liveliness, body and depth, and seems to reveal more nuances and freshness with each sip. While terrific to drink now, it can be cellared through at least 2020.

“Bubbly doesn’t get much better than this elegant, grand and sumptuous rosé. The color is pale salmon, while aromas showcase an exotic blend of spices and flowers. The flavor is vivid and enticing but not as simple as just saying cherries and ginger. Though this is dry, it’s so mature and rich that it almost tastes sweet. A wonderful, ginger-cookie flavor lingers a long time on the finish. This will improve in a cool cellar through at least 2020.”

All the benefits of maturity come through in this deliciously complex flagship sparkling wine of the French-owned estate. It shows very minute, slow-rising bubbles and a beautiful bouquet of ginger, cinnamon, cherry and fresh croissants. The flavors are layered, intricate, subtle but somehow rich. A lush and seemingly soft texture is supported by fresh acidity that encourages a long and delicate finish. Mature, but not old, it should be great through 2020 or longer.

This is an exquisite sparkling wine made from 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir, concocted into a special blend and aged for almost six years in oak cask. After disgorgement it was given another five months to sit in bottle before release. It has such freshness on the palate, such enviable acidity, that it’s hard to believe the grapes were picked so long ago. Crisp apple dominates, with just a trace of yeastiness on the nose and palate. This is a delicious wine.

Roederer knows rosé. This one is a blend from the top selections of pinot noir and chardonnay grown at their 540-acre estate in Anderson Valley. The blending team attains the color and flavor depth by including a small amount of pinot noir still wine, one that goes through a long cold soak, then finishes fermentation off the skins to minimize the tannic extraction. The result is a rosé that has flavor depth without tasting fruity. It achieves the stylistic goals of Roederer’s wines from Champagne: freshness and finesse. This wine is delicate, with hints of caramel, subtle earthy complexity and fruit depth to balance it. Fine bubbles carry the flavors on a clean line. Classical, if such a thing can be said of a California sparkling wine.

2003 was a great vintage for Roederer Estate. This, their top vintage wine, is very great, and the price is an absolute steal for this world class sparkler. It’s enormously rich in the strawberries from Pinot Noir and the limes from Chardonnay, while the toast and rich lees combine for a perfect champagne-style smokiness. And so smooth, it’s like a kiss of silk. At the age of eight years, this wonderful wine is just getting started.

Racy, a term often used to describe Champagne, rarely applies to California sparkling wine. Roederer Estate’s second release of L’Ermitage Rosé is one of the few exceptions-racy, as well as delicate, layered, savory and gently sweet. It’s a compelling take on a clean sparkler from the California coast, with the feel of the cold ocean and something of the taste of the sea creating tension and motion in the wine. If I were to describe the color as the pink blush on a golden apple, I would only diminish it to a cliché. The color is as brilliant as the wine itself. This is a breakthrough wine for California, and perhaps the ultimate match for Dungeness crab. Don’t miss it.