2020 Clark Road Vineyard
This vineyard is on the cool west side of Anderson Valley, where Pinot Noir thrives. We are intimately familiar with this site, which we have been farming since 1999. During those years, we have learned that we can leave the fruit on the vine longer than other sites, and as we allow it to ripen,…94 Points
Another of the producer's single-site sparkling wines from a single vintage, the 2020 Clark Road Vineyard is named for the road that gives access to its vineyards, which in turn was named for the family that once tended the apples that grew there. This is the inaugural release. Blending 76.8% Pinot Noir and 23.2% Chardonnay, it was partially fermented in 10% oak cask, the rest in stainless steel. Offering pretty toasted almond aromas, it is a light, well-balanced, and creamy sparkling wine made with a small percentage of reserve wine from 2017 and 2018 that has a refreshing mouthfeel and length.
— JebDunnuck.com, Virginie Boone, February 202594 Points
It shows fresh, laser intensity, with aromas of peach, red candy apple and baker’s yeast on the nose. The midpalate offers concentrated mandarin orange, cotton candy, raspberry-rhubarb, racy acidity and a dry supple finish. Decant these bubbles for aeration. Yes, bubbles can be decanted—especially those with complexity.
— Wine Enthusiast, Tonya Pitts, January 202593 Points
This comes from a new set of small-block wines from Roederer Estate showcasing individual vineyard sites that have proven distinctive in the bigger blends over the years. It's fresh, toasty and vivid in brioche, lemon zest and toasted baguette flavors over vivid minerals and zingy acidity. Very precise, linear and focused.
— JamesSuckling.com, Jim Gordon, November 202493 Points
A dry year that was warmer than typical, this wine shows so much depth with a pastry crust and wonderfully ripe fruit marked by bruised apples. Pinot is what makes the vintages here, according to winemaker Arnaud Weyrich. The Clark Road wine was kept on lees for 32 months; it was the first single vineyard wine from the Roederer Estate. This site was selected given its proximity to the ‘Deep End’, which provides more proximity to the Pacific Ocean, which cools faster and warms up more slowly. There is an austerity to this wine.
— Decanter, Clive Pursehouse, December 202492 Points
Refined and handsomely structured, with elegantly layered strawberry and apple flavors that are laced with notes of spiced nuts and brioche, finishing with lift.
— Wine Spectator, Tim Fish, December 2024
94 Points
Offering pretty toasted almond aromas, it is a light, well-balanced, and creamy sparkling wine made with a small percentage of reserve wine from 2017 and 2018 that has a refreshing mouthfeel and length.