Roederer Estate L’Ermitage Brut 2015
Louis Roederer [Road-ur-ur], a distinguished champagne producer situated in Reims, France, traces its origins back to 1776, when it began as Dubois Père & Fils. While its early days were marked by still wine production, the focus soon evolved to embrace the art of crafting fine champagnes. The business underwent a transformation under the stewardship of Louis Roederer in 1833 when he not only inherited but also renamed the company for himself. He boldly ventured into international markets, focusing particularly on Russia. This endeavor gained him immense recognition, including from Tsar Nicolas II, who appointed Louis Roederer as the official wine provider to the Imperial Court of Russia.
Roederer Estate is Roederer’s California operation. But, it isn’t simply a California winery owned by a French Champagne house—it was built from the ground up specifically to produce world-class sparkling wine under California conditions, while adhering as closely as practical to Champagne philosophy.
During the late 1970s, Jean-Claude Rouzaud, then president of Louis Roederer, believed California possessed sites capable of producing sparkling wines that could rival the world’s best. Instead of buying fruit from growers—as many California sparkling producers did—he insisted on owning vineyards outright.
After evaluating numerous regions, including more famous areas in Napa and Sonoma, he selected the cool, fog-influenced Anderson Valley. At the time, the decision seemed unusual because Anderson Valley was remote and relatively unknown, but its combination of cool temperatures, long growing season, and marine influence closely resembled the conditions prized for Champagne grapes. The estate was founded in 1982.
Today the property encompasses approximately 580 acres of estate vineyards, planted almost entirely to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Unlike many wineries, Roederer Estate uses only estate-grown fruit. That gives the winemaking team complete control over every aspect of viticulture—from pruning and canopy management to harvest timing. This estate-only approach mirrors the philosophy of Louis Roederer in France.
One reason Roederer Estate consistently outperforms many California sparklers is that it follows several traditional Champagne practices rather than shortcuts, including méthode traditionnelle, primary fermentation, bottle fermentation, extended lees aging, and bottle disgorgement rather than the less expensive tank method.
Instead of blending only base wines from the current harvest, Roederer maintains a library of oak-aged reserve wines. That reserve wine program is directly inherited from Champagne Louis Roederer and is relatively uncommon among California producers.
Current winemaker Arnaud Weyrich has led production since the early 2000s after beginning his relationship with the winery as an intern in 1993. Under his leadership, the wines have become even more refined while remaining unmistakably Californian.
Roederer Estate L’Ermitage Brut 2015
Despite the French nomenclature, this wine is a product of Roederer’s Napa Valley operation, where they make my favorite California sparkler, Roederer Estate Brut. An excellent value, it is fresh and crisp with elegant bubbles, and features pear and subtle spice flavors. Frankly, I think it is equal to or better than this much pricier selection, but your mileage may vary.
Roederer Estate only sources estate-grown fruit, a rarity among California producers. The vines are organically and biodynamically farmed with an open lyre trellis system
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. Following disgorgement, this L’Ermitage was aged an additional six months (minimum) on the cork prior to release.
L’Ermitage debuted with the 1989 vintage. From the outset, it was conceived as a prestige cuvée — extended aging, rigorous selection, estate fruit. Philosophically, it mirrored Cristal, Louis Roederer’s tête de cuvée.
This release is composed of 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir, of which 4.9% was aged reserve wine from 2010, 2012, and 2014. The wine pours a quite pale light straw color, with a medium fizz. The nose is very delicate, with just a hint of yeast. There is a lively acidity on the palate, which features plenty of citrus. Think “lemon-lime Sprite soda,” without the sweetness. The flavor profile is super fresh, with essentially no bready notes (which I would have liked to see some of.) The lively acidity is offset by a surprisingly rich mouthfeel. The ABV is 12.4%. 3,649 cases were made.
And here’s an idea: serve this with fried chicken. Seriously.
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