Roederer Estate L’Ermitage Rosé 2013 (Archive)
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Reviews
94 Points
Wine Spectator April 2022
“Graceful and vibrant, with detailed strawberry, quince and spiced cinnamon flavors that expand and take on richness on the long, crisp finish. Drink now.”
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.
The wine for the dosage used in the L’Ermitage Rosé was the 2013 wine liquor, aged for 7 years in a French oak cask. Following disgorgement, L’Ermitage was aged an additional 6 months (minimum) on the cork prior to release.
The 2013 vintage was the first one of a series of drier than usual springs. There was little rain in spring but frost season was quite mild with harvest starting third week of August. It was a warmer year, closer to 2009 for reference, and yield in the vineyard was just above average. Maturities were good and acid levels somewhat lower than usual.
Tech
Appellation: Anderson Valley
Varietals: 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir–3.9% is aged reserve wine from 2011
Wine Alcohol: 12.6%
pH: 3.07
Dosage: 8 g/L
Tasting Notes
L’Ermitage Rosé brings complexity and smoothness to a higher level. The delicate salmon colors enhance the tiny bubbles and creamy mouthfeel. Aromas of candied cherries, candied quince, evolving to caramelized apple. There is creamy texture with a sense of richness. The texture is present but well integrated with the wrapped acidity.
