Named after one of the most remarkable figures in the history of Champagne Louis Roederer, Camille Charmont allows wine enthusiasts to discover another facet of the unique winemaking expertise of this family-owned House, today headed by Frédéric Rouzaud, Camille Olry-Roederer's great-grandson.

A resourceful widow at the helm of Louis Roederer from 1932 to 1975, Camille brought the House into the modern world as she successfully steered the it through all the important events of that time. Camille, the widow of Léon Olry-Roederer, gave the House a new energy and direction, acting as its most brilliant ambassador. She enjoyed inviting her most loyal customers to dine with her, not only to unveil her latest champagnes but to surprise them… toying with codes and conventions, she used to serve the multi-vintage brut at the apéritif and some still wines from Roederer’s finest vineyards with the meal. Her guests were amazed by these still wines from Avize or Cumières and she was delighted to have found an original way to showcase Roederer’s quality and success.

Behind the creation of Camille, we find the natural, virtuous viticulture that has been practiced by the House for over 20 years, but here we see it taken in a new direction, daring to break with Champagne tradition through the absence of bubbles. It allows Louis Roederer to take what Nature has offered and render it even more beautiful, revealing another facet of the Champagne terroirs.

Sourced from a 1.06-acre plot in the Charmont lieut-dit (Mareuil-sur-Aÿ), the Pinot Noir grapes are sorted three times and separated according to the ripeness of their stalks. The clusters with their stalks intact are vatted immediately and the rest of the fruit is then added, with the amount of the stalks differing in each batch. The grapes are simply left to infuse with very little interference in order not to hurry the juices. The juices are then transferred to French oak barrels where they will continue to integrate and become more refined over 14 months. The result is a very intricate and delicately-perfumed Pinot Noir with a touch of salinity, a lively, sappy backbone and a precise texture.

Deep ruby red hue. Delicate, pure aromas of raspberry, black fruit, flower petals and spice. The nose reveals the characteristic finesse of Pinot Noir, becoming more and more fragrant as it opens up. After a few minutes, subtle notes of cocoa and smoke from oak ageing emerge from the glass and add complexity to the ensemble. The palate is charming, seductive and velvety smooth. Time seems to stand still as the wine captivates us with an ethereal, dense and silky choreography of flavors underpinned by delicate and slightly sweet tannins.

A very unusual year in more ways than one. After an exceptionally rainy winter, spring was very mild. The warmth brought with it stormy and sometimes destructive weather as well as variable rainfall throughout the appellation. Summer was very warm, dry and sunny and surpassed even the record breaking temperatures of 2003. 2018 is therefore a new benchmark for the Champagne region in terms of heat, drought and sunshine levels.