Roederer Estate

Roederer Estate > L’Ermitage

Roederer Estate L’Ermitage

Anderson Valley, California, United States

Vintage:2017 (Current)

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Roederer Estate L’Ermitage 2017
  • D 96
  • JS 96
  • IWR 95
  • VFTC 94+
  • WS 94

Reviews

International Wine Review 95 Points December 2024, Don Winkler

Consistently on the top of its game, the L’Ermitage Brut reveals a mélange of brioche, toasted grain and walnuts with pear and berry notes. The palate is complex and mouthfilling with a rich, persistent finish. A blend of 52% Chardonnay, 46% Pinot Noir and 2% Pinot Meunier; 4.9% reserve wine from the 2012 vintage. Dosage 7.5 g/L.

View From the Cellar 94+ Points December 2024, John Gilman

The 2017 Roederer Estate “l’Ermitage” Brut Millésime is crafted this year from a cépages of fifty-two percent chardonnay, forty-six percent pinot noir and two percent pinot meunier. It was finished this year with a dosage of 7.5 grams per liter and offers up a beautifully refined and complex nose of apple, bread fruit, bread dough, a lovely base of white soil tones, gentle smokiness and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and still youthfully brisk, with a fine core of fruit, excellent soil inflection, elegant mousse and a long, complex and impeccably balanced finish. This is already tasty, but like all of the past releases of l'Ermitage from Roederer Estate, this wine is built for cellaring and it will be an even finer drink five to ten years down the road! 2025-2055+.

Decanter 96 Points September 21, 2024, Clive Pursehouse

A fine mousse marks the 2017 L'Ermitage. This wine is only made in certain vintages, such as the estate's tete de cuvee. Special cask-aged wines are added to the L'Ermitage to add complexity and depth, in this case, aged reserve wine from 2012. This vintage was marked by a wet winter, with slow ripening in the Anderson Valley and a Labor Day heat wave. The addition of Pinot Meunier was to mitigate the impact of the heat wave as it was picked earlier or before, in this case. This wine shows bruised apples, nutmeg spice, poached pears and quince paste. This wine shows power and depth, elegance and longevity.

Wine Spectator 94 Points February 14, 2024, Tim Fish

“Opulent yet detailed, with expressive pear and cherry flavors accented by roasted hazelnut, brioche and fresh ginger. Builds richness on the plush finish. Drink now through 2027.”

JamesSuckling.com 96 Points December 7, 2023, James Suckling

“Delightful citrus notes with yellow apple, faint white flowers, sourdough, brioche and a hint of hazelnut. Full-bodied with a very delicate and fine bead, and crisp acidity. Beautiful finesse with an amusing transparency and freshness to it. Very refreshing, too. Fine bubbles. Structured. Drink with meat. A blend of 52% chardonnay, 46% pinot noir and 2% pinot meunier. Five years on lees. 7.5 grams dosage. Drink or hold.”

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, 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” blend that allows for longer aging, which produces a fine wine with elegance and finesse.

The wine for the dosage added to the L’Ermitage 2017 was a 2012 wine liquor aged in a French oak cask. Following disgorgement, L’Ermitage 2017 was aged an additional six 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. Rich aromatics of butter pastry and Asian pear. Broad entry, clean mouthfeel. Quince freshness and texture. Soft and gentle finish. A L’Ermitage release from a warmer vintage with power and richness.

Harvest Notes

A wet 2016-2017 winter in Anderson Valley was followed by a cool, wet and windy spring. Late May rains impacted the vineyard bloom, resulting in an average year for yields. Summer saw a slow-ripening pattern with acidity remaining high. A heat wave in early September kick-started harvest in the estate's late-ripening parcels. As we scrambled to harvest the fruit, maturation with fairly high sugar and balanced acidity was the norm for the remaining part of harvest.

Technical Information

Varietals: 52% Chardonnay, 46% Pinot Noir, 2% Pinot Meunier– 4.9% aged reserve wine from 2012

Wine Alcohol: 13.2%

pH: 3.07

Residual Sugar: 7.5g/L

Cases Produced: 3,649