Founded in 1982, Roederer Estate is nestled in Mendocino County’s fog-shrouded, Anderson Valley. As the California property of Champagne Louis Roederer, Roederer Estate builds upon a centuries-old tradition of fine winemaking. The premium grape growing region's proximity to the ocean gives rise to a gentle cycle of warm days and cool nights, allowing grapes to mature slowly on the vine and develop full varietal character.

L’Ermitage, Roederer Estate’s special tête de cuvée, is a sparkling wine made only in exceptional years from pre-selected, estate-grown grapes. Carrying on the tradition of Champagne Louis Roederer in France, Roederer Estate produces its sparkling wines in the French méthode traditionelle and adds special oak-aged reserve wines to each blend. L’Ermitage debuted with the 1989 vintage.

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” blend that allows for longer aging, which produces a fine wine with elegance and finesse.

The wine for the dosage added to the L’Ermitage 2017 was a 2012 wine liquor aged in a French oak cask. Following disgorgement, L’Ermitage 2017 was aged an additional six months (minimum) on the cork prior to release.

Fine tiny bubbles and a long lasting mousse are the usual footprints of the L’Ermitage cuvée. Rich aromatics of butter pastry and Asian pear. Broad entry, clean mouthfeel. Quince freshness and texture. Soft and gentle finish. A L’Ermitage release from a warmer vintage with power and richness.

A wet 2016-2017 winter in Anderson Valley was followed by a cool, wet and windy spring. Late May rains impacted the vineyard bloom, resulting in an average year for yields. Summer saw a slow-ripening pattern with acidity remaining high. A heat wave in early September kick-started harvest in the estate's late-ripening parcels. As we scrambled to harvest the fruit, maturation with fairly high sugar and balanced acidity was the norm for the remaining part of harvest.