Fascinated by the diverse aromatic qualities of the Pinot Noir grapes in Champagne, Louis Roederer uses the structure and power of the Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims to create its Vintage. Exposed to the north-east, the grapes mature more slowly and produce wines that are sometimes rough and closed at the beginning of the ageing process, but their character intensifies and becomes more refined through ageing in wood over long periods. In 1850, Louis Roederer acquired 15 hectares in the Grand Cru vineyard of Verzenay in order to master the cultivation of the grapes in this cuvée.
The blend is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, with 37% of the wine vinified in oak tuns with weekly bâtonnage (stirring by hand); it is not subjected to malolactic fermentation. The Vintage cuvée is aged, on average, for four years in Louis Roederer’s cellars and left for six months after dégorgement (disgorging) to attain optimal maturity. The dosage is 9 g/l.
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 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.
Golden yellow with soft amber tints and a bright, gentle sparkle.
The subtle bouquet reveals spring-like notes of fresh citrus fruits, smoky mineral aromas and hints of lightly toasted almonds. The wine has a talc-like chalkiness and is both soft and full bodied, with a silky mouthfeel and a long finish.
The 2012 vintage displays the minerality of the Pinot Noirs grown in the Verzy and Verzenay vineyards.
Serve chilled in tulip shaped glasses
Wine & Spirits: 91 POINTS, YEAR’S BEST CHAMPAGNE
December 2018, Joshua Greene
“This wine’s rich yellow fruit brings to mind Thai ginger and the complex flavors of huitlacoche. The wine is tight and austere, its flavors slowly magnified out of the tense, tiny reduction. Give this a year or two in the cellar and those flavors will expand.”
Wine Spectator: 93 POINTS
October 10, 2018, Alison Napjus
“This mouthwatering version is fine and satiny in texture, featuring citrus peel acidity that frames a well-meshed range of crushed currant, Earl Grey tea and lemon curd flavors, with a rich hint of toasted brioche. The minerally underpinning echoes on the finish. Drink now through 2030.”
The Wine Advocate: 94 POINTS
June 29, 2018, Stephan Reinhardt
“Roederer’s white golden 2012 Vintage is a classic Millésime. Based on 70% cool-climate Pinot Noir from Verzy and Verzenay (Montagne de Reims) and 30% Chardonnay from a very warm, south/southwest-facing vineyard in Chouilly (Côte des Blancs), the 2012 represents the mineral terroirs of its origins beautifully— pure, refined and fresh. Fermented 8% in oak and with just 16% of the volume having done malolactic fermentation to make the Roederer Vintage Brut a classic gastronomic wine, the 2012 shows a deep, rich and ripe but also fine, precise and elegant chalky nose with hazelnut, toasted almond and blossom flavors. The palate is profound, round, highly elegant and fresh, and the long, remarkably salty finish is very complex and terribly fresh in its persistent mineral expression. This is an impressive, ripe and almost creamy textured but precise and finessed 2012 with power, body and structure. A true, highly stimulating classic. Just love it! Disgorged in January 2017 after four years of bottle aging (dosage: nine grams per liter). Tasted in Reims in May 2018.”
AOC Champagne
70% Pinot Noir
30% Chardonnay
Cork
12%
9g/l
Yes
No
