"Sleek and complex, with lovely aromas of green apple, loam and warm cinnamon rolls. The flavors show pinpoint focus, yet are nicely layered, with baked apple, lime and toasty spice flavors that linger. Drink now through 2013. 8,332 cases made." (WS)
"Roederer Estate's tete de cuvee is regularly in the running for high award hereabouts, and, although we are much taken with its depth, its very rich autolyzed character and its fine mousse in this vintage, its complexity comes at the cost of a fairly stark edge of acidy stiffness. Serve it alongside cream-sauced shellfish, but it is just a little rigid to find wide appeal as an aperitif." (CG)
Winery Notes:
L’ERMITAGE is Roederer Estate’s special Tête de Cuvée, which has consistently been rated one of California’s top sparkling wines since its debut in 1989. Taking a cue from owner Champagne Louis Roederer, Roederer Estate produces its sparkling wines in the traditional French methode champenoise and adds special oak-aged reserve wines to each blend. L’ERMITAGE is made only in exceptional years, of pre-selected grapes that come from the very best lots.
Winemaker Notes
Fine tiny bubbles and a long lasting mousse are the usual footprints of the L’ERMITAGE cuvée. This cuvée from the palindromic vintage 2002 is showing great notes of “tarte tatin”: baked apples and buttery crust, with notes of apricot and delicate vanilla bean. The mouthfeel is creamy, expresses flavors of quince and bread crust, with a clean and crisp yet long finish.
Vintage Summary
The 2002 vintage was typical of the Anderson Valley cool climate. A dry spring and summer, with very few days of frost or heat, led to a beautiful set of the crop. The pinot had small berry size which led to some concentrated and very aromatic wines. Harvest start dates were August 23rd for pinot noir and September 4th for the chardonnay.
Winemaking
Roederer Estate wines are made with juice from just the cuvée pressing; no première or deuxième taille is used. The concept of the vintage L’Ermitage is the same one that is used in Champagne: Only the best of the vintage is selected. These are exceptional wines that create a “noble” (special) blend that allows for longer aging, which produces a fine wine with elegance and finesse. Four members of the blending team include winemakers from Champagne Louis Roederer in France and Roederer Estate in California, together totaling over 130 years of experience.
The wine for the dosage added to the 2002 L’ERMITAGE was 2002 wine liquor aged for 5 years in a French oak cask. Following disgorgement, L’ERMITAGE was aged an additional six months (minimum) on the cork prior to release. |
