Louis Roederer Champagne Tasting Featuring the Newly Released Vinotheque Cristal Wednesday, November 11th 7:30pm
"Champagne, if you are seeking the truth, is better than a lie detector. It encourages a man to be expansive, even reckless, while lie detectors are only a challenge to tell lies successfully." Graham Greene
Champagne is my favorite wine and our biggest tasting of the year coming up in a few weeks on Saturday, November 21st. Although the annual Champagne tasting is almost here we have dozens of champagne tastings throughout the year when our friends are in town from Champagne.
We will be partying like a rock star on Wednesday November 11 when our friends from Louis Roederer Champagne tasting will be here featuring the largest array of their top cuvee Cristal that we have ever put on the table including two of the newly released Vinotheque versions of this tete de Cuvee disgorged after 15 years in the cellar and out of magnum format.
Join us as we welcome Jean Remi Barbier to the wine bar for a special evening of Louis Roederer Champagne including eight different versions of Cristal and Cristal rose. The fee for this tasting which includes dinner and gratuity is $795 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.
Louis Roederer Champagne Tasting
with Special Guest Jean Remi Barbier
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
7:30 PM
Nv Champagne Louis Roederer Collection 246 Magnum
2019 Louis Roederer Blanc De Blancs Brut Champagne
1997 Louis Roederer Cristal Vinothèque Brut Champagne Magnum
2002 Louis Roederer Cristal Vinothèque Rose Brut Champagne Magnum
2008 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne Magnum
2013 Louis Roederer Cristal Rose Brut Champagne
2013 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne
2014 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne
2016 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne
2018 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne
2018 Louis Roederer Brut Rose Champagne
Menu
Shoestring Fries with Gremolata
Ceasar Salad with Bacon Fried Polenta Croutons and Crispy Prosciutto
Duck Trap Salmon with Italian Sturgeon Caviar served on top Potato Pancake
Aussie A-5 Waygu Filet Sashimi Served with Champagne Rice and Hoisin Reduction
Strawberry Shortcake
The fee for this tasting which includes dinner and gratuity is $795 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com. Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any dietary restrictions or aversions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.
A bit about Louis Roederer Champagne
Very little is known about the early days of the Louis Roederer Champagne House apart from the fact that the firm was founded in 1765 by a Monsieur Dubois and that it was owned and managed by a Monsieur Schrieder in the early 1800's. In 1827 Schrieder asked his young eighteen year old nephew, Louis Roederer, to help him run the firm. Schrieder was extremely impressed by the young man's ability; and when Schrieder, who had no sons, died in 1833, he left the business to Louis. Louis Roederer wasted no time in giving the House his own name; he then set about to make the rather inconsequential firm of Louis Roederer a powerful name in Champagne. The markets on which he concentrated were Russia, the United States, and Great Britain. The Tsars and the aristocracy of Russia had an unquenchable thirst for Champagne, and up until the 1830's that country was the exclusive preserve of Veuve Clicquot, Moët, and Dom Ruinart. By 1836 the Tsar himself was drinking Louis Roederer Champagne and sending his wine steward to Reims to taste the annual cuvées. Shortly thereafter, the monarch's wine steward began to complain that there was nothing to distinguish the Louis Roederer Champagne served at the Tsar's table from the Louis Roederer Champagne consumed by his subjects. Louis Roederer immediately arranged for special "Cristal" bottles to be made. Although they were the same shape as the ordinary bottles, they were so strong that the punt (the "push-up" in the bottom of the bottle) could be eliminated - a feature particularly appreciated by the Tsars, for they always feared that terrorists could plant a bomb in the punt of a Champagne bottle. The "Cristal" bottle became the exclusive Champagne of the Russian Court and the first of the great deluxe Champagnes such as Dom Pérignon etc. that are now produced in limited quantities by almost every Champagne House. When Louis Roederer died in 1870, he had fulfilled the ambitions of his youth. He was famous in Russia; his Champagne firm had grown from an annual production of 100,000 to two and half million bottles; and he was the third or fourth largest supplier of Champagne to the United States.
The fortunes of the House of Roederer took a disastrous downturn at the end of the Russian Revolution. At the time of the outbreak of the First World War, almost three quarters of Roederer's production was being shipped to Russia. The war and the ensuing Russian Revolution meant that little Champagne was going to Russia, and it nearly bankrupted the firm. When the Revolution concluded, the communists, who were eager to destroy every last vestige of Tsarist influence and culture, declared that Champagne was too "bourgeois". Because of this new political attitude and because of the close link with the former Tsar, the importation of Louis Roederer Champagne to Russia ceased. A catastrophe of this magnitude would probably have destroyed most businesses, but fortunately there was an appreciative and eager market in the United States, England, and Belgium.
During the thirties and forties, the firm was run by the colorful and determined Roederer widow, Madame Camille Orly-Roederer, who expanded the firm's holdings and reestablished Roederer's position as a powerful Champagne House. She earned great respect from the male Champagne magnates for her business acumen and was the talk of the world social scene, as she was known to strut into gala parties larger than life and "dressed to the nines" in fabulous diamonds and Dior gowns...and order Roederer Champagne for everybody in the house! It is interesting to note that the "new Tsars" of Russia may not consider Louis Roederer Champagne as bourgeois as Lenin once did. When Brezhnev visited President Nixon in Washington in 1972, he wired ahead and requested that several well-chilled bottles of "Cristal" be placed in his stateroom prior to his arrival!! We are sure that the new capitalist leaders of Russia will soon be toasting their successes once again with Roederer.
Today Louis Roederer supplies over 80% of its production from its own vineyards which are classified at an average rating of 95%. (All Champagne vineyards are quality rated from 80% to 100% by a special committee; very few vineyard areas get the top 100% (Grand Cru) rating.) This is an enviable position to occupy, for most of the major Champagne firms have to purchase more than half their grape needs from independent growers and therefore do not exercise as much control over the growing process - an extremely important aspect. The house style at Roederer - best exemplified by their superb non-vintage known as "Brut Premier" - is notably smooth, full-bodied, and mature. Roederer also produces a non-vintage Rosé, a vintage Brut, an extra-dry, and of course the renowned luxury cuvée, "Cristal", and its fabulously expensive sibling "Cristal" Rosé.
All the Champagne from Louis Roederer in the store on SALE!!
2018 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne
Price: $418.50 Your Price: $376.65
(98 Points) The 2018 Cristal opens a new chapter for Roederer. The Cristal estate is composed of 45 parcels. In better vintages, most of the 45 parcels are used for the blend. The 2018 vintage brought with it elevated ripeness and generally low acids. Longtime Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon was forced to cast his gaze wider, to look for parcels that offered a touch of freshness. Lécaillon expanded his palette to 57 parcels. The result is a Cristal unlike any other I have tasted. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, spice, chalk and herbs are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass. Floral and savory overtones are quite distinctive. Lécaillon reduced oak ferments, racked very quickly after fermentation and used all his best Chardonnay lots for Cristal, so much so that there is no Blanc de Blancs. He bottled earlier than normal and chose a crown capsule with a liner that allows less oxygen transfer than the norm here. Taken together, those choices paid off handsomely. In tasting, the 2018 is positively stunning. Its linear energy and brilliance are a bit reminiscent of the 2014, but its flavor profile is completely different from any Cristal I can remember tasting. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. 98+ (AG) Vinous, Reviewed May 2026
(99 Points) Created in 1876 to satisfy the demanding tastes of Tsar Alexander II, Louis Roederer’s Cristal has since become a symbol of luxury all around the world. Produced only during the best years, it’s made from 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, the grapes coming from 45 of the finest lieux-dits in the region. 2013 was a late bloomer, with flowering only taking place in July after a cool spring. The summer was ideal with long periods of dry and warm weather. One third of the wine is aged in oak and there’s no malolactic fermentation. Vincenzo Arnese: Packed with elegant yet powerful aromas of ripe orchard trees that merge with brioche and dry cookies. This is a harmonious and well-defined Champagne with integrated residual sugar and astonishing acidity. Divine! Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW: Lemon coloured with a pink hue. Like a blanc de noirs, with cherries and white fruit aromas. Balanced and suave. Goes from less to more, with an exceptionally long and complex finish. Amanda Barnes: Appealing notes on the nose of pastry dough and apple tart that are very open. On the palate there’s beautiful concentration with lingering savoury notes. Minerally and sophisticated. (Panel Tasting) Decanter, Reviewed December 2022
2016 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne
Price: $395.00 Your Price: $355.50 Quantity in Stock: 6
(98 Points) The 2016 Cristal is a blend of 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay with 7 grams per liter of dosage. No malo-lactic was performed here, and 31% of the base wines were aged in French oak. The nose begins with bright red berry notes of fresh raspberries and strawberries before opening out to a complex undercurrent of saffron, white chocolate, talc, baker’s yeast, and emerging wafts of citron blossom and pear tart. The palate is very dry and spicy, not needing even a touch more sweetness thanks to the abundance of ripe berry and citrus flavors, delivering beautifully knit acidity and typically tiny, persistent bubbles. It finishes with notes of effervescent chalkiness and saffron flowers, leaving you reaching for another sip. (LPB) The Wine Independent, Review Date: 07/2024
2014 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne
Price: $395.00 Your Price: $355.50 Quantity in Stock: 3
(98 Points) This vivid Champagne has upfront and linear definition, thanks to rapierlike acidity, with finely meshed flavors of ripe black cherry and mandarin orange fruit, raw almond, anise and cardamom spice as well as a touch of honeycomb, which all unfurl and expand on the fine, creamy palate. Sleek acidity continues through to the finish, with additional racy character provided by a streak of minerally saline and chalk, which gains momentum through the midpalate and rings out on the well-cut, lasting finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2040. Wine Spectator
2013 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne Magnum
Price: $942.00 Your Price: $847.80
2013 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne
Price: $395.00 Your Price: $355.50 Quantity in Stock: 4
(99 Points) Created in 1876 to satisfy the demanding tastes of Tsar Alexander II, Louis Roederer’s Cristal has since become a symbol of luxury all around the world. Produced only during the best years, it’s made from 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, the grapes coming from 45 of the finest lieux-dits in the region. 2013 was a late bloomer, with flowering only taking place in July after a cool spring. The summer was ideal with long periods of dry and warm weather. One third of the wine is aged in oak and there’s no malolactic fermentation. Vincenzo Arnese: Packed with elegant yet powerful aromas of ripe orchard trees that merge with brioche and dry cookies. This is a harmonious and well-defined Champagne with integrated residual sugar and astonishing acidity. Divine! Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW: Lemon coloured with a pink hue. Like a blanc de noirs, with cherries and white fruit aromas. Balanced and suave. Goes from less to more, with an exceptionally long and complex finish. Amanda Barnes: Appealing notes on the nose of pastry dough and apple tart that are very open. On the palate there’s beautiful concentration with lingering savoury notes. Minerally and sophisticated. (Panel Tasting) Decanter, Reviewed December 2022
2012 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne Methuselah 6 liter
Price: $15950.00 Your Price: $14355.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
(98 Points) The 2012 vintage of Cristal is the first to be produced entirely from Demeter-certified, biodynamically-farmed fruit, which is a landmark for Maison Roederer. The future is now here! I have been looking forward to this release of this vintage of Cristal for a few years now, but sadly found myself not in top form to appreciate its debut, as I was so suffering from jet lag after my three weeks on the road in November that my energy level was no match for this beautiful young wine. The 2012 Cristal is its customary cépages of sixty percent pinot noir and forty percent chardonnay and none of the vins clairs went through malo this year, with one-third of the blend barrel-fermented. The wine was finished in 2012 with a dosage of 7.5 grams per liter and offers up a beautiful young nose of pear, apple, fresh lemon, white flowers, a very complex base of chalky minerality, a hint of the caraway seed to come and a topnote of white flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with a racy girdle of acidity, a rock solid core, impeccable focus and grip, refined mousse and stunning length and grip on the poised and perfectly balanced finish. This is another great vintage of Cristal in the making, but it deserves plenty of time in the cellar to blossom properly. Review Date: 11/2019, John Gilman
2008 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne 3 Liter
Price: $4495.00 Your Price: $4045.50 Quantity in Stock: 1
(100 points) This latest incarnation of the famous brand is a superb wine. It is on par with, maybe even better than, the already legendary 2002. Its balance is impeccable: Apple and citrus flavors working with the tight minerality to give a textured yet fruity wine. Produced from Roederer's own vineyards which are mainly biodynamic, the wine has its own intense purity and crispness. It has amazing potential and is likely to age for many years. Drink from 2020. Wine Enthusiast
2000 Louis Roederer Cristal Vinothèque Brut Champagne Magnum
Price: $2545.00 Your Price: $2290.50
(95 Points) “Disgorged four years ago, with four grams per liter dosage, after a decade sur lattes and six years sur pointes, the 2000 Cristal Vinothèque bursts with notes of golden orchard fruit, mandarin, white flowers and iodine. Full-bodied, ample and powerful, with a deep and layered core, lively acids and a beautifully pearly mousse, it's a long, sapid Champagne that's showing very well today. As Lecaillon observes, the Vinothèque is the house's riposte to "everyone who says Cristal is released too young—with the Vinothèque releases, we've exaggerated the aging process to make Cristal more powerful and more dramatic." And this release is certainly a formidable effort in a vintage impacted by hail in the Montagne de Reims.” The Wine Advocate, September 2021, William Kelley
1997 Louis Roederer Cristal Vinothèque Brut Champagne Magnum
Price: $2545.00 Your Price: $2290.50
(95 Points) The 1997 Cristal Vinothèque spent 15 years sur lattes and four years sur pointes (where bottles are stored neck-down to minimize contact between the lees and the wine, as well as ensuring a hermetic seal to the bottle) before disgorgement. It has shown brilliantly both times I've encountered it this year, unwinding in the glass with scents of sweet citrus fruit, peach, spices, iodine and fresh bread. Medium to full-bodied, racy and incisive, it's a precise, chiseled wine with a deep core and a long, saline finish. (WK) Wine Advocate, Review Date: 08/2022
2015 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Rose Champagne
Price: $772.50 Your Price: $695.25
(97 Points) "The 2015 Cristal Rosé is superb. Rich and dense, the 2015 possesses terrific depth and textural resonance from start to finish. Time in the glass brings out notable creaminess and volume. Kirsch, red plum, blood orange and dried rose petal infuse the 2015 with captivating, palate-staining depth. Cristal Rosé is certainly one of the very finest wines in this uneven vintage. I find it a touch more complete than the Blanc. Of course, the volume for the Rosé is much smaller, but the best sites clearly had the potential to be quite successful. The blend is 56% Pinot Noir from Bonotte Pierre Robert (Aÿ) and 44% Chardonnay from Montmartin (Mesnil-sur-Oger) and Pierre Vaudon (Avize)." Vinous
2013 Louis Roederer Cristal Rose Brut Champagne
Price: $675.00 Your Price: $607.50 Quantity in Stock: 4
Blend: 63% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay
A great rosé champagne must be made from very ripe grapes, which are sometimes difficult to obtain in the Champagne climate. As a result, Louis Roederer has chosen to invest in one of the earliest Champagne crus, Cumières, for which the steeply-sloping, shallow clay and limestone soils face south and benefit from the additional light reflected from the river Marne, enabling phenolic maturity to be achieved. In these select terroirs, Louis Roederer applies the precise winemaking methods required for the production of a saignée rosé. The style of this rosé is elegant, full-bodied and with delicate fruitiness (red fruits). Brut Rosé is 100% estate-bottled from the grapes of the historic family-owned vineyards.
2002 Louis Roederer Cristal Vinothèque Rose Brut Champagne Magnum
Price: $2999.00 Your Price: $2699.10
(98 Points) This rosé is a light tawny-gold hue in the glass, with a gossamer feel to the mouthwatering acidity. There’s a crystalline lattice supporting flavors of dried cherry and blood orange pâte de fruit alongside savory white truffle and grilled macadamia nut, plus notes of oyster shell, smoke and saffron. Softly effervescent and creamy, with a long, long finish. Sip and savor this beauty. (AN) Wine Spectator, Review Date: 12/2025
NV CHAMPAGNE LOUIS ROEDERER COLLECTION 246
Price: $60.00 Your Price: $48.00
This is the 246th blend of Roederer's non-vintage Champagne. It is a fine wine, highlighting the blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, bringing in reserve wines to give richness and balance. It is fresh, beginning to show signs of maturity, with an apple aroma and a ripe palate. Drink now.
2019 Louis Roederer Blanc De Blancs Brut Champagne
Price: $103.50 Your Price: $93.15
Intense yellow hue with bright, luminous tints. An even flow of creamy, ultra-fine bubbles. Bouquet of harvest (almonds), spring flowers (honeysuckle) and citrus (lemon). The aromas are harmonious and deep, with delicate notes of roasted almonds and roasting. Upon aeration, powdery and chalky nuances emerge, creating a refined reductive nose typical of exceptional Chardonnays. Precise, juicy and deep on entry to the palate, this wine exudes a magnificent concentration of ripe fruit and floral aromas interwoven with a mineral freshness. The mouthfeel is creamy and chalky, almost powdery and drying, imparting a trim, finely honed quality to the palate. Juicy and rounded, the wine is drawn out into a fresh, powdery finish. The palate crescendos like a torrent of white mountain water, with a lingering sweetness from the wood ageing complementing the saline length and structure imparted by the white chalk of Avize.
2015 Louis Roederer Blanc De Blancs Brut Champagne
Price: $105.00 Your Price: $94.50 Quantity in Stock: 1
2018 Louis Roederer Vintage Brut Champagne
Price: $93.50 Your Price: $84.15
(94 Points) Coming from Verzy and Chouilly, the 2018 Champagne Vintage Brut has 80% Pinot Noir from Verzy and is the last vintage to include Chardonnay from Chouilly. Historically, the Chardonnay was included in the blend to soften the austerity of the Pinot Noir; however, with these recent vintages and warming conditions, this is no longer necessary, as the Pinot Noir is fully ripe and appealing on its own. In the glass, it offers aromas of pure red cherries, fresh flowers, bright spice, and wild raspberries. Medium to full-bodied, it has compact definition, a pillowy mousse, a chalky texture, and mouthwatering tangerine notes on the finish. While I am eagerly anticipating the 2019 release, this holds a fantastic place in the range to enjoy now or over the next 15 or so years. Jeb Dunnuck
2018 Louis Roederer et Philippe Starck Brut Nature Millesime Champagne
Price: $115.50 Your Price: $103.95 Quantity in Stock: 2
Charming, delicate and refined, Brut Nature 2018 takes the generous character of the year and turns it into a wave of fruity, saline freshness. It exudes harmony and precision, revealing the exceptional limestone backbone created by these cool terroirs in Cumières.
The result of a free-spirited collaboration between the Louis Roederer Champagne House and creator Philippe Starck, this pared-down, zero-dosage champagne captures the essence of Cumières' black soils in a sunny vintage. Produced exclusively in warm, dry years, it reflects our vision of a “climate change laboratory” through its singular taste.
For almost 20 years, our Brut Nature has been a marker of the changes occurring in the Champagne region and is a pioneering model of experimentation. Produced exclusively in hot, dry years, it is a forerunner of the champagnes of tomorrow and a platform for experimentation. The winegrowing practices used in its production are tailored to this specific context and offer a glimpse into the future of the region's viticulture.
Brut Nature is the embodiment of this changing Champagne region, reflecting the shifting landscape in its restrained style and understated design. A veritable incubator of innovation, Brut Nature benefits all the Louis Roederer champagnes as it helps us anticipate and adapt to these changes.
« Brut Nature is the showcase of our most innovative experiments of the last 20 years, it is a ‘laboratory of climate change’ that has allowed us to rediscover certain traditional and sometimes forgotten skills, such as knowing how to bring out the best in the original Champagne grape varieties or the practice of complantation. »
— Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Cellar Master, Champagne Louis Roederer
2015 Louis Roederer et Philippe Starck Brut Nature Millesime Champagne
Price: $99.00 Your Price: $89.10 Quantity in Stock: 1
(94 points) The most compelling rendition of this bottling that Roederer has produced to date, the 2015 Brut Nature exhibits inviting aromas of golden orchard fruit, clear honey, dried white flowers and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, layered and vinous, with a fleshy, concentrated core of fruit, chalky structure and a long, precise finish, it's a Pinot Noir-dominant blend from Cumières that's slightly lower in pressure, making for a more delicate mousse. (WK)" (8/2022) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2018 Louis Roederer Brut Rose Champagne
Price: $97.50 Your Price: $78.00
(95 Points) The 2018 Champagne Vintage Brut Rosé is based largely on Pinot Noir from Cumières, with additional Pinot Noir from Mareuil sur Aÿ that brings more intensity and drive to balance the upfront fruit of Cumières. Composed of 60 percent Pinot Noir, it offers a chalky, lightly saline profile with notes of apricot, fresh strawberry, and blood orange. Medium-bodied, it has more structure than expected in the vintage and finishes clean and mineral. Drink 2025-2045. (AF) Jeb Dunnuck, Reviewed December 2025
2017 Louis Roederer Rose Brut Champagne
Price: $85.50 Your Price: $68.40 Quantity in Stock: 4
Lovely pink hue with light copper tints. Steady flow of fine bubbles. An immediate bouquet of forest fruit (wild strawberries and raspberries) and citrus (blood orange) with some zesty and powdery petal-like notes (rose-flavored macaroons). Upon aeration, the citrus fruit gives way to iodised and chocolate nuances with a few spicy and resinous (cedar) overtones. The palate is caressingly soft, delicious, delicate and elegant. We have the sensation of a silky texture that softly evaporates to give way to a cloud of delicate and slightly spicy perfumes. The fruit is concentrated and almost liqueur-like on the mid-palate where it is energised by the fresh and iodised flavors. On the finish, the delectable chocolate nuances combine with the chalky freshness to create a lingering and pure impression of salinity.
Blend: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
2013 Louis Roederer Brut Rose Millesime Champagne Magnum
Price: $267.00 Your Price: $240.30
(92 Points) The Roederer 2013 Rosé has a lovely light pink color and opens with highly delicate red fruit and flowery aromas. The wine is light, fresh, pure, very delicate and stimulatingly salty. Very energetic and at the same time caressing. The finish displays pink grapefruit, blood orange, and lime zest flavors. Highly stimulating in its purity, freshness and citrus character. Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon finds it less vinous than the 2012, but he thinks the 2013 has huge aging potential. Disgorged in January, tasted at the domaine in May 2018. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2012 Louis Roederer Rose Brut Champagne Magnum
Price: $220.50 Your Price: $198.45
A great rosé champagne must be made from very ripe grapes, which are sometimes difficult to obtain in the Champagne climate. As a result, Louis Roederer has chosen to invest in one of the earliest Champagne crus, Cumières, for which the steeply-sloping, shallow clay and limestone soils face south and benefit from the additional light reflected from the river Marne, enabling phenolic maturity to be achieved. In these select terroirs, Louis Roederer applies the precise winemaking methods required for the production of a saignée rosé. The style of this rosé is elegant, full-bodied and with delicate fruitiness (red fruits). Louis Roederer Brut Rosé is 100% estate-bottled from the grapes of the historic family-owned vineyards.
THE VINTAGE: 2012 was one of the most challenging and complicated years ever experienced in Champagne. Yet difficult conditions often lead to great things… The low yields, due to the vagaries of the weather, combined with continental conditions towards the end of the season, gave us unusual levels of maturity, resulting in rich, full-bodied and structured wines worthy of the greatest vintages in Champagne.
TASTING NOTES: On the eye: Golden pink hue with bright red tints. Exceptionally fine, lively sparkle forming even, persistent streams of bubbles.
On the nose: Intense bouquet of ripe fruit (blackcurrant) and candied orange, accompanied by subtle notes of orange blossom and Madagascar vanilla. The bouquet is very stable, dense and opens out slowly to reveal a deep, sweet character.
On the palate: Smooth and full-bodied on entry to the palate. Its ripe, warm palate is both tactile (silky texture) and rounded (ripe, sweet anthocyanins with an almost liquorous consistency), and is lengthened by a fresh, chalky finish. Subtle notes of hazelnut and cocoa beans linger on the end palate.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Varietals: 63% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay
2018 Louis Roederer Brut Nature Rose Philippe Starck Champagne
Price: $112.50 Your Price: $101.25
(93 Points) The ripest and darkest Pinot Noir bunches were pre-harvested and macerated before pressing. Their juice lent the colour to this compelling pink wine that is slow to open. Gently, both orange peel and later also redcurrant compote rise from the glass, showing the future direction of travel. The palate is all sleekness, held in a firm and elegant frame that marshals the generosity of the fruit and underscores the clarity and brightness of the flavours. This still has to unfold and will do so beautifully with more bottle age. (AK) Decanter, Reviewed May 2025
NV Louis Roederer Carte Blanche Champagne Demi Sec
Price: $82.50 Your Price: $74.25
After the upheavals of the early 1900s, particularly the First World War that destroyed more than half of the Louis Roederer estate, Léon Olry Roederer reconstructed the vineyards. He decided to buy grapes to ensure the continuity of the House during this difficult period and, at the same time, created a multi-vintage wine that would have a consistent flavour, whatever the harvest year. The Carte Blanche cuvée—like Brut Premier—is produced from around 40% Pinot noir, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier, 5% of which is wine matured in oak tuns. It is aged for 3 years in Louis Roederer’s cellars and left for a minimum of 6 months after dégorgement (disgorging). Carte Blanche, which has more dosage added than Brut Premier, perfectly reflects the great tradition of demi-sec champagnes. Ample, creamy, with a refined and persistent acidity that gives it a very delicate freshness, this blend has ripe fruit notes with almost caramelized accents and a flavour of honey and ground almonds.
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