Roederer Estate - Brut Anderson Valley NV (750ml)

 

Ranked #25 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2017

 

Roederer Estate Brut, the first California sparkling wine produced by Champagne Louis Roederer, builds upon a 200-year tradition of fine winemaking that has made Roederer champagne among the most sought-after in the world.

 

Roederer's winemaking style is based on two elements: ownership of its own vineyards and the addition of oak-aged reserve wines to each year's blend or cuvee.  All the grapes for the Anderson Valley wines are grown on the Estate.

 

Each year, the winemaker selects a portion of the best wines for aging in Center of France oak casks.  Aged from one to three years, wines from this reserve cellar are added to the blend, creating a multi-vintage cuvee in the traditional Roederer style, known for its body, finesse and depth of flavor.

 

The Roederer Estate Brut debuted in October 1988, and has since established its reputation as one of California's premier sparklers, remaining true to the heritage of excellence and style of its French forebears.

 

Rated 92 Points by Wine Spectator

 

A voluptuous and expressive sparkler, with floral red apple, brioche and cinnamon spice aromas and rich, vibrant flavors that finish on a luxurious note.

 

Rated 92 Points by Wine Enthusiast

 

The fruit flavors are apparent, fresh and lively in this medium-bodied, beautifully balanced brut.  Light pear and pineapple aromas are followed by richer pear and citrus flavors, and subtle hints of baking spices, almonds and a nice earthy touch emerge.

 

Rated 91 Points by Connoisseurs' Guide

 

Year and year out, the Roederer Estate Brut ranks high on the list of preferred non-vintage Brut bottlings and, in this outing, impresses more than usual.  It is vibrant and fresh and unstinting in autolyzed richness all at once, and it is as impeccably balanced as it is deep and continuous in flavor.  Its wonderfully refined, terrifically sustained mousse heightens its sensations of brightness and youthful vigor, and it shows the complexity and crafting of a wine that we would guess costs far more than it does.

 

Rated 90 Points by Decanter

 

I would happily drink this wine every day if there weren’t so many other wines in the world to taste   Its wonderful play of creamy yet kinetic textures, the custardy, limey flavours, and its impeccable focus all add up to one of the best ways possible to greet 6pm after a long work day.  Roederer Estate was, in my opinion, the first California sparkling producer to achieve complexity in its wines – especially in the estate’s prestige cuvée, L’Ermitage.  The Brut (sold as Quartet in the UK) is generally 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir.

 

Rated 90 Points by Wine & Spirits

 

Roederer Estate’s Brut is reliably open and delicious, this year’s cuvée bursting with concentrated apple flavor.  It’s clean and dry with a long, delicate finish enhanced by the barrel-aged reserve wines that winemaker Arnaud Weyrich blends in.  Its bold flavors and vinous texture would be great with cracked crab.

 

Roederer Estate Brut Multi Vintage Anderson Valley

 

Founded in 1981, 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.

 

Winemaking

 

Roederer Estate's winemaking style is based on two elements: ownership of its own vineyards and the addition of oak-aged reserve wines to each year's blend or cuvée.  All the grapes for the Anderson Valley wines are grown on the Estate.  Oak-aged wines from the Estate's reserve cellars are added to the blend, creating a multi-vintage cuvée in the traditional Louis Roederer style.  Only the cuvée (first pressing of 120 gallons/ton) is used; no premiere or deuxieme taille.  The fermentation takes place in high-grade stainless steel tanks at 65 degrees Fahrenheit.  Zero to minimal malolactic fermentation is used in order to ensure the wines age well and retain the fresh, precise and well-defined style that is one of the characteristics of Roederer Estate wines.

 

Tasting Notes

 

The Roederer Estate Brut is crisp and elegant with complex pear, spice and hazelnut flavors.  It is fresh and lightly fruity with great finesse and depth of flavor.

 

Technical Information

 

Appellation:  Anderson Valley

 

Varietal:  58% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir

 

Aging:  Aged a minimum of two years on the yeast

 

Number of Cases Produced:  80,000

 

 

Roederer Estate Anderson Valley

 

BUILDING UPON A 200 YEAR TRADITION OF WINEMAKING EXCELLENCE

 

Roederer Estate Brut is the first California sparkling wine to be produced by Champagne Louis Roederer, further building upon a 200-year tradition of fine winemaking from this family owned company.  Roederer's unique winemaking style is based on two elements: complete ownership of its vineyards and the addition of oak-aged reserve wines to each year's blend or cuvée.
 

The Roederer winemaking philosophy has guided the development of Roederer Estate, located 125 miles north of San Francisco near the Mendocino Coast.  Since 1982, Roederer Estate winery has been quietly developing its own vineyards and crafting fine wines from the Anderson Valley.  Roederer Estate's Anderson Valley Brut debuted in October 1988 followed by the winery's first vintage cuvée,L'Ermitage, in 1989, released in the fall of 1993.

 

FIRST RATE ESTATE VINEYARDS CREATE EXCEPTIONAL SPARKLING WINES

 

Jean-Claude Rouzaud, then president of Champagne Louis Roederer and fifth generation descendant of the founder, selected the 580-acre Anderson Valley vineyard and winery site in 1982.  Rouzaud, who has since handed down the family tradition and position to son Frédéric Rouzaud, believed that estate-owned vineyards were essential to ensure top quality wine, and had searched California for ideal growing conditions throughout the course of several years.

 

The Anderson Valley offered the cool climate and well-drained soils that are ideally suited to the Roederer winemaking style.  This 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 meticulous about all its farming and winemaking decisions.  The winemaking process begins with in-depth knowledge of the Roederer 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.

 

Roederer Estate winery only uses Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes grown in its own top choice vineyards, which is key in producing quality wines.  As a result, the winery can be very selective, and generally uses only about 70 percent of the total cuvée pressed (the first 120 gallons/ton of juice), and none of the premiere or deuxieme taille (subsequent pressings of 16 gallons/ton each).

 

The quality is also attributed to the addition of reserve wines which are selected from the best wines each year and aged in Center of France oak casks.  Wines from this special reserve cellar are added to each blend, creating a cuvée in the traditional Roederer style, known for its body, finesse and depth of flavor.  This balancing of reserves is the best demonstration of Roederer's winemaking skills.

 

 

Rated 92 Points by Wine Spectator

 

Ranked #25 Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2017

 

A voluptuous and expressive sparkler, with floral red apple, brioche and cinnamon spice aromas and rich, vibrant flavors that finish on a luxurious note.

 

 

 

Rated 92 Points by Wine Enthusiast

 

The fruit flavors are apparent, fresh and lively in this medium-bodied, beautifully balanced brut.  Light pear and pineapple aromas are followed by richer pear and citrus flavors, and subtle hints of baking spices, almonds and a nice earthy touch emerge.