Roederer Estate L’Ermitage Rosé 2003 (Archive)

W&S 95

Reviews

95 Points

Wine & Spirits December 2009 Josh Greene

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.

Overview
Winemaking
Tech Info

Overview

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.

Winemaking

Roederer Estate wines are made with juice from just the cuvée pressing; no première or deuxième taille is used. The concept of the vintage L’Ermitage is the same one that is used in Champagne: Only the best of the vintage is selected. These are exceptional wines that create a “noble” (special) blend that allows for longer aging, which produces a fine wine with elegance and finesse.

The rosé blend is crafted using a small fraction of red wine, from Pinot Noir grown on the estate, especially made for this purpose using Burgundian maceration technique that allows skin contact to extract color and aromas. This red wine brings delicate berry flavors and a nice color to further extend the L’Ermitage smoothness and subtleties, allowing for a unique tasting experience.