Champagne Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs Vintage

Champagne, France

Vintage:2016 (Current)

2014 (Past) | 2015 (Past) |

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Champagne Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2016
  • JS 96
  • WE 95
  • W&S 95
  • D 94
  • V 94

Reviews

Decanter 94 Points April 30, 2024, Tom Hewson

“Roederer’s lesser-known blanc de blancs comes from estate vineyards in the village of Avize. It’s a cuvée that captures all of the fragrance and clarity of this classic chalky terroir, presenting a compressed, compact sense of mature orange fruit – clementines, apricots – through a smooth mousse and fine citric bitterness. This luminously bright, transparent blanc de blancs sidesteps creamy, toasty or nutty richness, instead focusing on pure fruit tethered to mineral restraint.”

Wine Enthusiast 95 Points December 2023, Roger Voss

“Intensely perfumed, the Champagne has great citrus fruit and minerality that has now intensified and matured into a perfect age. Drink now.”

Wine & Spirits 95 Points December 2023, Josh Greene

“Pale and beautiful in its chalk structure under flavors of lemon and grapefruit pith, this is youthfully vibrant and just plain deli-cious: chardonnay from the white chalk of Avize. About a quarter of the base wine aged in oak, a shadow of pale pistachio behind the wine's freshness. What lasts is a clean sense of minerality, a mouthwatering structure that should sustain this for years in the cellar.”

Vinous Media 94 Points November 2023, Antonio Galloni

“The 2016 Brut Blanc de Blancs Vintage is laced with hints of tropical fruit, lime, mint, passionfruit and crushed rocks. Intensely aromatic and light on its feet, the 2016 impresses with its gracious, understated personality. Sourced from plots in the mid-slope Grand Cru vineyard of La Côte in Avize, readers will find a Blanc de Blancs endowed with tons of energy and nuance. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.”

JamesSuckling.com 96 Points July 7, 2023, James Suckling

“Enveloping nose of fresh wheat and white tree fruits plus lemon zest freshness and a touch of flint. Stunning balance of creaminess from sur lie maturation with elegant and mineral acidity. Very long finish that’s simultaneously pristine, chalky and silky. From four plots in the Grand Cru village of Avize. Finished at just 4.5 atmospheres of pressure, which is deliberately below the norm of six. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.”

Overview

From 1830 onwards, the House of Louis Roederer acquired extensive knowledge of the Champagne terroirs, began experimenting with plot-by-plot vinification, and mastered the art of delicate effervescence. It is in the heart of the famous Côte des Blancs, specifically in the Grand Cru estate vineyards of "La Côte" in Avize, where Louis Roederer sources its Chardonnay grapes. These grapes attain optimal maturity on the calcareous soils, enabling the House to produce taut, highly aromatic wines with ethereal finesse.

Winemaking

The Blanc de Blancs 2016 cuvée was drawn off at low pressure in order to create a rounder and smoother effervescence. 28% of the wine was vinified in oak casks. Bottle-aged for 5 years and then left to rest for a further 8 months after disgorging to attain the perfect maturity.

Zero malolactic fermentation. The dosage is 7 g/L.

Tasting Notes

Golden yellow hue with bright highlights. Magnificent, soft and even bubbles. Bouquet of white flowers (jasmine, orange blossom), citrus zest (lemon) and wheat complemented by an impression of iodine freshness, sea spray, sea breeze and powdered chalk. A few smoky notes and a reductive, calcareous quality, reminiscent of grilled almonds, emerge after aeration. The palate is creamy and caressing, revealing softness and finesse; coated velvet-like textures that quickly give way to fresh, marine, powdery and concentrated sensations. One has the impression of biting into a ripe, juicy fruit bursting with a lingering and mouth-watering zesty freshness. The finish is smooth, saline and stretches out like a shaft of sunshine, luminous and drying yet never brittle.

Harvest Notes

The 2016 vintage was characterized by particularly marked weather variations: spring was cool, wet and relatively late whereas summer was warm and dry with a heatwave in late August followed by dry and sunny weather over the harvest period which was highly beneficial to the ripening of the grapes. The Pinot Noirs thrived in these dry, sunny conditions and the heat has given them an intensely fruity character and silky smooth texture. The Chardonnays are just as outstanding although more chiselled and saline in character.

Technical Information

Varietals: 100% Chardonnay

Harvest Start Date: September 15, 2016

Harvest End Date: October 1, 2016

Dosage: 7 g/L