Roederer Estate L’Ermitage Rosé
Anderson Valley, California, United States
Vintage:2015 (Current)
2006 (Past) | 2009 (Past) | 2011 (Past) | 2012 (Past) | 2013 (Past) | 2019 (Current)
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Reviews
International Wine Review 95 Points
This 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blend sourced from the estate’s vineyards in Mendocino’s Anderson Valley is light copper-salmon in color. It opens with delicate aromas of red berries and zest of blood orange. On the palate it reveals fine bubbles, a creamy mouthfeel, and notes of bread dough and minerals complementing the fruit. The perfect accompaniment for salmon. 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir with 3.9% reserve wines from 2010-14. Dosage 8 g/L.
Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
“This wine is salmon-hued with aromas of Rainier cherry, raspberry, strawberry, orange cream and pink grapefruit zest on the nose. The bubbles are fine and the midpalate has semifirm creamy mousse with flavors of white strawberry, white peach, Golden Delicious apple, dried fine herbs, toasty butter brioche on the finish.”
JamesSuckling.com 95 Points
“A very intense rosé with a strawberry tart and caramelized pie crust character. Full-bodied with a firmness and framing that gives a real sense of structure yet a solid density. It’s open and agile at the same time. Real presence to this. A blend of 50% chardonnay and 50% pinot noir. Five years on lees. 8g/L dosage. Drink or hold.”
Wine Spectator 93 Points
“Delicate and pretty, with rose petal and strawberry tones accented by lemon, gingerbread and spices as this glides on the elegant finish. Drink now.”
View From the Cellar 94 Points
“The 2015 Roederer Estate “l’Ermitage” Rosé is the new release of this lovely bottling. The wine is crafted from a cépages of fifty percent each of chardonnay and pinot noir. Four percent of the cuvée is composed of reserve wines from the harvests of 2010, 2012 and 2014. The wine includes a small percentage of still pinot noir to give the wine its lovely salmon color. It was finished with a dosage of eight grams per liter and offers up a very refined bouquet of peach, tangerine, wheat bread, a lovely base of soil tones, dried flowers, a touch of citrus peel and a topnote of gentle smokiness. On the palate the wine is crisp, complex and full-bodied, with an elegant profile, superb depth at the core, refined mousse, a lovely spine of acidity and excellent balance on the long and very classy finish. American sparkling wines do not get any better than this excellent vintage of l’Ermitage Rosé! 2023-2045+.”
Decanter 94 Points
“This effusively aromatic blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Roederer Estate is absolutely delightful. L’Ermitage, both Brut and Rosé is a special tête de cuvée. This sparkling wine is made only from pre-selected, estate-grown grapes in exceptional years—aromatics of pink cotton candy, ripe apricot flesh and red apple peel. The palate is exquisite and refined. Candied peach, blood orange and a touch of wet chalk to finish.”
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.
L’Ermitage, Roederer Estate’s special tête de cuvée since 1989, is a sparkling wine made only in exceptional years from pre-selected, estate-grown grapes. Roederer Estate produces its sparkling wines in the French méthode traditionelle and adds special oak-aged reserve wines to each blend.
Winemaking
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” 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. About 3.5% of red wine of pinot noir was used in the blend.
The wine for the dosage used in the L’Ermitage Rosé was the 2015 wine liquor, aged for 6 years in a French oak cask. Following disgorgement, L’Ermitage was aged an additional 6 months (minimum) on the cork prior to release.
Tasting Notes
Fine tiny bubbles and a long lasting mousse are the usual footprints of the L’Ermitage cuvée. Pale salmon color. Mineral and light berry aromatic notes. Flavors of red apple tart with bright acid wrapped in yeast autolysis creaminess. Pinot width and structure, but light on its feet. Salivating finish.
Harvest Notes
The 2015 vintage was on the tail end of a two-year drought spell. Winter was mild and budbreak was very early in February. Bloom occurred in early May when it was windy and cool... then June got very hot, all pushing for an early harvest starting August 7th. Labor was difficult to secure to harvest quickly enough and the last lots for sparkling were picked September 10th. Overall, the yields in 2015 were good with plenty of maturity for the late picks.
Technical Information
Varietals: 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir–3.9% is aged reserve wine from 2010, 2012, 2014
Wine Alcohol: 12.7%
pH: 3.06
Residual Sugar: 8 g/L