So summer's officially here, and there are no doubt some warm ones ahead! Luckily for all involved, intrigued, and in the mood to sip on and collect more of the Champagne's greatest gifts, our festive tasting train keeps on rolling - this week it takes a turn through the beauty and charm of Louis Roederer!
On special until the end of the year at tremendous value is their Collection 244 - a luscious Chardonnay-dominant Brut NV that packs fleshy and racy fruit power and blooming white florals with an unmistakable phenolic chalky grip on the finish. All of their Collections have been so wonderfully crafted, and as such have seen steady price increases these past few years - this special Christmas offer is thus one we won't get to see often, so the chance will be there until New Year's Day!
This Saturday (7th December) will then bring in four more of their celebrated releases to our tasting table (all on special for the next week), with a 2016 showing of vintage Rosé, as well as three examples of 2015's brilliance with the Brut Vintage, Blanc de Blancs, and their legendary Cristal cuvée! We pour from 12 to 2pm - this promises to be an absolute treat, and we really hope you can make it along!
Champagne Monday Special
Collection 244 - $89 on special until the end of December ($105 RRP)
(Featured on this weekend's tasting - rest of the lineup below)
// 41% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 26% Pinot Meunier
Dosage: 7gr/l
54% base wine from 2019 harvest 36% perpetual reserve wine & 10% oak-aged reserve wines (containing the seven vintages from 2012 to 2018)
"Dry and continental and of magnificent maturity, this year (2019) gave us wines that were dense and fresh, with a masterful balance, conducive to bringing out the powerful and luscious Collection character in the blend. All the wines from this harvest were rigorously tasted, plot by plot, before being blended in a complex symphony recreating the perfect picture of the vintage. True to its roots, the Champagne House wanted to reflect its historical origins in the blend: 1/3 from our "La Rivière' Estate, 1/3 from our 'La Montagne' Estate and 1/3 from our 'La Côte' Estate. Aged for almost 4 years in our cellars, Collection 244 is a wine that has reached great plenitude, borne by the maturity of the year, the freshness of the Perpetual Reserve and the complexity of the oak-aged reserve wines. It is a wonderfully well-balanced champagne with an incredibly luscious power, marking the return of the Meunier grape variety, which adds a fruity, caressing softness to the more structured, saline Pinots noirs and Chardonnays." - House Notes
"Very light straw-yellow hue with a discreet, reserved aroma: there are straw/mineral/quartzy, broken-rock and fresh herb aromas, the palate is quite full and voluminous but also dry and clean at the finish, aided by a touch of phenolic grip. It's one of the more generous blends with big flavour and some roundness, generosity and an appetising finish." - 95 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"Roederer's NV Brut Collection 244 is the finest release of the house's reimagined non-vintage Brut to date. Offering up aromas of pear, peach and nectarine mingled with notions of white flowers, beeswax, freshly baked bread and buttery pastry, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, with a pretty pinpoint mousse, racy acids and a long, chalky finish. The quality of the base vintage really shines through." - 93+ Points, William Kelley, Wine Advocate
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Louis Roederer - Weekend Tasting Lineup (w/ Specials)
Saturday 7th December, from 12 to 2pm
Brut Vintage 2015 - $145 on special($165 RRP)
// 70% Pinot Noir & 30% Chardonnay
"A great 2015 vintage champagne! Super-elegant synthesis of pinot noir and chardonnay character with a dazzling interplay of complex red apple, citrus and delicate floral aromas with racy acidity and chalky minerality, that is animating for mind and body. Unusually graceful finish for the vintage. 70% pinot noir from Verzy, the highest point of the Montagne de Reims, that’s also very close to the forest. 30% chardonnay from Chouilly, another rather cool location." - 96 Points, James Suckling
Blanc de Blancs 2015 - $145 on special ($165 RRP)
// 100% Chardonnay
"The 2015 Blanc de Blancs is a fabulous choice for drinking now and over the next decade or so. Soft and creamy, the 2015 is immediately caressing in its embrace. Citrus confit, white flowers, spice and a hint of pastry all meld together. There is something effortless about the 2015 that is hard to describe. The 2015 is not the last word in complexity, but it is supremely delicious. Terrific for the year. Dosage is 8 grams per liter." - 94 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Rosé Vintage 2016 - $155 on special ($175 RRP)
// 62% Pinot Noir & 38% Chardonnay
"A nose full of rose petals with orange skin and berry fruits, not as expressive as some of the other Champagnes in the masterclass but this has a lovely soft, and delicate aromatic profile. Tangy lemon, raspberry, strawberry and orange on the palate with a sea spray, saline finish that is particularly moreish. Fully flavoured, round and complete with mouthwatering acidity, lots of sapidity and an extremely long finish. A lovely combination of both bitter and sour elements giving such complexity and nuance on the palate." - 94 Points, Georgina Hindle, Decanter
Cristal 2015 - $495 on special ($545 RRP)
// 60% Pinot Noir & 40% Chardonnay
"Light-ish straw with a faint tint indicating red grapes, the bouquet shows some mushroom, also of pinot noir/meunier, and there's also celery, parsnip notes, while the palate is full, rich and powerful with concentration and depth. Clearly more intensity and concentration than the Collection wines tasted with it. There is very crisp mouth-feel with a final dryness that reverberates for a long time, the dryness thanks to some phenolic grip, which more than counters any sweetness from the dosage. It's very dry, with a seriously chalky finish, and shows this vintage's no-malolactic style. A wine of tremendous finesse, line and length. It's still tight and has yet to develop any toastiness, and will blossom with some time in the cellar. A triumph from a difficult year." - 97 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"I have tasted the 2015 Cristal three times so far. Those tastings paint a portrait of a complex Champagne that is still finding its center. Tasted at the maison, the 2015 is rich, dense and explosive, with tremendous textual intensity and also a good bit of energy to back it up. Citrus confit, spice, ginger, chalk and dried flowers abound in a Champagne endowed with tremendous aromatic presence in a style that offers notable richness but in a lighter style than vintages such as 2012. There is a bit of the savoriness that is such a signature of the year, but it is nicely integrated into the wine’s fabric." - 96 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
If you wish to purchase any of these champagnes, please use the links above ? Otherwise, if you have any questions, please contact us on 07 3252 1117 or email sales@thewineemporium.com.au
// Price valid until Monday the 9th of December