Founded in 1982, Roederer Estate is nestled in Mendocino County’s cool, fog-shrouded Anderson Valley. As the California property of Champagne Louis Roederer, Roederer Estate builds upon a centuries-old tradition of fine winemaking. 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.

Apple Alley Vineyard, along with our Clark Road Vineyard bottling, is intended to reflect what lies at the core of Roederer Estate philosophy: deep knowledge of our family owned vineyards and careful craftmanship of site-specific wines. These single-vineyard releases showcase an important sense of place and the full expression of the fruit in its terroir.

Apple Alley is the nickname given to the dirt road that winds up from the winery deep into the vineyard situated above Roederer Estate. The land formerly contained a large apple orchard, and the trees along the dirt road are the last remnants of the original plantings, with some nearing 100 years in age. Our 2020 Apple Alley Vineyard was partially fermented in casks (8%) and with a small amount of reserve wine aged in casks (1.4%) to give the Roederer Estate family touch. It was disgorged in February 2024, after 34 months on the yeast.

On the nose, delicate aromas of baked pie crust and spices dominate. A round entry leads to baked lemon curd notes. This vintage bears a soft acidity because of its nearly full malolactic status, which is not typical of the Roederer Estate style but was what the site and vintage wanted to express that year. The wine is creamy at the finish yet stays bright. At 6g/L of dosage, it sits at the top of the Extra Brut scale for a refined, round but not sweet lingering finish.

The 2020 vintage in Anderson Valley was marked by a drier-than-normal winter, followed by a warmer-than-usual summer because of the lack of fog. Budbreak and flowering occurred somewhat earlier than during a usual growing season, with harvest for Apple Alley Vineyard getting under way on Aug. 22 and completed on Sept. 3. With ground water low that season, the berries stayed small, leading to higher acid and concentrated flavors. Despite the daytime heat in most of the valley, chilly nights and some rare morning fog slowed ripening somewhat, which resulted in a mature wine with focused acidity, pronounced complexity and fine structure.