2003 Louis Roederer Rose

The estate’s 2003 Brut Vintage Rosé is a very delicate rosé; in fact, it is one of the more understated rosés I tasted. The color is a light tone of salmon. Layers of sweet perfumed fruit flow onto the palate effortlessly as this sexy, feminine wine opens up in the glass. This is a fairly accessible style of rosé, but it has the signature Roederer finesse in spades. This is 70% Pinot Noir from Cumieres and 30% Chardonnay from Mesnil, Avize and Oger. This is Lot: 030993C 100006, disgorged January 17th, 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2011. Roederer is one of the most impressive estates in Champagne. Few houses have managed to reconcile this level production in a negociant operation while achieving such a consistently outstanding level of quality across the entire range. Roederer owns 214 hectares of vineyards, which is enough to meet 65-70% of the house’s needs. The vintage wines are made from 100% estate-grown fruit, while the NV wines are made with the addition of roughly 45% purchased fruit. Generally speaking, malolactic fermentation and oak aging are used to a higher degree for the NV range than for the vintage wines. Dosage varies as well, and ranges from 11-12 grams for the entry-level wines to 9-10 for the tête de cuvée Cristal. Unfortunately, because of its rabid following, the vast majority of Cristal is drunk upon release, which is ironic, if not downright tragic, considering Cristal is a wine that starts peaking around age 15-20 and can last much longer under ideal storage conditions. With Cristal, Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon aims to make an age-worthy Champagne that is fresh and floral when young but that is also capable of considerable development with bottle age, qualities the finest Cristals have in spades. In the best vintages, one tank of Cristal Rosê is also made that features the exquisite Pinot Noir of Ay. Unfortunately, Roederer does not provide disgorgement dates for its wines, but the bottles have codes that can be traced back to dates at the winery. It would be great to see this venerable property add a simple disgorgement date, at least for their top wines, considering the significant financial investment required to purchase them. Importer: Maison Marques & Domaines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000

(L0309993C100007) Orange-pink. Musky strawberry, tangerine and white flower aromas are brightened by dusty minerals. Firm, tightly wound redcurrant and bitter cherry flavors stain the palate and are braced by nervy minerality. This is livelier than the 2003 Brut, with firmer structure and more back-end cut. Finishes brisk and persistent.