The SOMM Journal

December 2017 / January 2018

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{ SOMMjournal.com }  67 which we tasted alongside the famed 1992. While the '89 had evolved to a deep golden color and developed complex flavors of rich mocha and caramel, the '92 remains a lively and crisp joy. Twenty-five years after the vintage, it retains the lighter color and racy, flinty characteristics more often found in younger wines. By contrast, the 2006, a vintage of almost over-abundance, seemed "a bit lazy," in Weyrich's opinion. It was a soft and appealing wine at first blush, but ultimately it lacked the intriguing complex - ity exhibited in the other wines. "To make a true tête de cuvée, the tradition of quality and the house style are the drivers behind all the winemaking and viticultural decisions," Weyrich says. The concept of a house style is one of many innovations by Champagne Louis Roederer. According to Roederer's website, "In the 1920s, the future heir to the House of Louis Roederer, Léon Olry-Roederer, consecrated his efforts to creating a highly-balanced wine, a consistent and delicate blend of sev - eral vintages, to ensure that the wine would always be of the highest quality." Roederer Estate's unique aging casks are exquisitely carved works of art, elegantly dressed for their essential role in achieving L'Ermitage's house profile. Fashioned from oak selected from several forests in central France, the casks are the repository for 10–15 percent of each vintage. To maintain a consistent style, the aged reserve wine is added to the vintage cuvée and is used for the dosage as well. The winery follows Cham- pagne's traditional winemaking methods, but occasionally a vin - tage will compel a departure. For instance, in 2001, Weyrich made the decision to use malolactic fermentation. "Before the 2001 vintage, there was absolutely no malolactic fermentation used in the winemaking. The 2001 vintage had a very long hang time—which is great if you're making Cabernet in Napa. But for sparkling wine, there was so much acidity that, without malo, the wine would have been too austere. We don't use it every year, because you don't need it every year. It's like salt and pepper; you use it when you need it, in the leaner years." For the namesake founder of Champagne Louis Roederer, tête de cuvée quality began in the vineyards. Convinced that the high - est quality wine could not be achieved with purchased fruit, he began acquiring Grand Cru vineyards long before vineyard ownership was the practice in Champagne. It's a philosophy bequeathed to Roederer Estate, which currently owns and controls 620 acres of Anderson Valley vineyards. If the dictionary definition of a master - piece is "a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship," then Roederer Estate L'Ermitage should be given as an example. Made only in the best vintages with the best fruit and the best human efforts, L'Ermitage is a quintessential tête de cuvée—a true "best wine." Each vintage creates a unique work of artistry, but as Winemaker Arnaud Weyrich explains, "They all reach the fresh - ness and the purity of the acid core, which is the hallmark of Roederer Champagne and sparkling wines." The Roederer Estate L'Ermitage Brut Rosé spent five years on the lees and is a nearly 50-50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. individual vintage. Weyrich uses the analogy of "sending a rocket to the moon. There's a narrow window of perfect conditions where you can get the acid core and bal - ance great wines need to age." We began with the debut vintage, 1989,

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