2011 L'Ermitage Brut Rose
Founded in 1982, Roederer Estate is nestled in Mendocino County’s fog-shrouded, Anderson Valley. As the California property of Champagne Louis Roederer, Roederer Estate builds upon a centuries-old tradition of fine winemaking. The premium grape growing region’s proximity to the ocean gives rise to a gentle cycle of warm days and cool nights, allowing grapes to mature slowly on the vine and develop full varietal character.Among the very few California sparkling wine houses that only sources estate-grown fruit, Roederer Estate is also meticulous about all its farming decisions. The winemaking process begins with in-depth knowledge of the Estate soils to introduce open lyre trellis system or high density plantation, extends to the decision to farm vineyards organically and biodynamically, and finishes by painstakingly tracking grape maturity to achieve perfect balance at harvest.
L’Ermitage, Roederer Estate’s special tête de cuvée, is a sparkling wine made only in exceptional years from pre-selected, estate-grown grapes. Carrying on the tradition of Champagne Louis Roederer in France, Roederer Estate produces its sparkling wines in the French méthode traditionelle and adds special oak-aged reserve wines to each blend. L’Ermitage debuted with the 1989 vintage.
95 Points, Top 100 Best Wines of the Year
“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.”
— Wine & Spirits, Josh Greene, August 2019
93 Points
“Delicate and maturing beautifully, with rose petal, strawberry, roasted nut and brioche flavors that sail on the elegant finish. Drink now.”
— Wine Spectator, Tim Fish, December 5, 2018
95 Points, Top 100 Best Wines of the Year
What sets L’Ermitage apart is the purity of its fruit, completely present and yet delicate, a ghosting of raspberry and currant flavor.