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Wine Description
The Story
From 1830 onwards, the House of Louis Roederer acquired extensive knowledge of the terroirs and plot-by-plot vinification, and mastered the effervescence. In the heart of the Côte des Blancs, where the Chardonnay grapes attain optimal maturity on the calcareous soils, Louis Roederer has selected two exceptional grands crus: Mesnil-sur-Oger and Avize, whose unique characteristics and complementarity enable the House to produce taut, highly aromatic wines that have finesse.
100% Chardonnay, the Blanc de Blancs Vintage cuvée is generally matured on lees for five years and left for a minimum of 6 months after dégorgement (disgorging) to attain perfect maturity.
In the mouth, the attack is typically Chardonnay—it is smooth and delicate, and markedly sweet. Slightly sweetened floral notes and white fruit and dried fruit notes are combined with the almost chalky minerality of the Côte des Blancs. The texture has notes of sugared almond, a sensation that is strengthened by a soft effervescence that envelops the mouth. This is followed by an impression of finesse, elegance, and freshness, strengthened by suggestions of fresh mint and basil.
Vintage 2011
Champagne Vintage 2011 / Pinot noir especially stood out this year, while pinot meunier was a ected partly by attacks. The winter came unusually early, in November of the previous year, but a mild late spring still led to a owering in May. The blending wines still have a fairly thin structure and a disturbing tone of bubblegum. Actually, this was one of the few autumns I have been present at harvest. I went around and made unannounced visits here and there. The strongest impression and question mark was actually the huge amount of invasive ladybugs that were caught in the presses and left a nasty, urine-saturated stabbing scent in the press houses. Will this leave an impression? I fail to see it disappear given how strong it was. Apart from that, I will never forget it was 86°F and the autumn sun radiant, when we celebrated with a magnum and reworks into the wee hours in Moulin de Verzenay.
by Richard Juhlin