Roederer Estate L’Ermitage Rosé 2006 (Archive)
- WE
Reviews
96 Points, Cellar Selection
Wine Enthusiast December 1, 2014
“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.”
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 traditional 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.
Tech
Appellation: Anderson Valley, California, United States
Varietals: 49.8% Chardonnay, 50.2% Pinot Noir, of which 3.9% is aged reserve wine from 2003
Wine Alcohol: 12.7%
Titratable Acidity: 0.8%
pH: 3.15
Residual Sugar: 10.3
Dosage: 10.3 g/L
Cases Produced: 893 750ml cases, and 110 magnum cases
Tasting Notes
L’Ermitage Rosé 2006 brings complexity and smoothness to a higher level. The delicate salmon colors enhance the tiny bubbles and creamy mouthfeel. Notes of bread crust, baked apples and fruit candy create an elegant and complex wine. The wine is crisp with great acid on notes of quince jelly and light vanilla.
Latest tasting done on August 2014.
