Champagne Louis Roederer Brut Nature Rosé
Champagne, France
Vintage:2012 (Past)
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Reviews
Wine & Spirits 94 Points
“ 'A little alarming,' said the youngest taster on our panel, possibly reacting to the naked curves of this wine and its in-your-face power. This critic, closer to the autumn of life, described it as the preservation of summer fruits, while for others it recalled picking wild raspberries, its fl avors saturated and cool. Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon says that this first vintage of Brut Nature Rosé came out of a discussion with Philippe Starck, who wanted to produce a wine with some color. Lécaillon achieved that by looking for the ripest pinot noir in one southfacing parcel and meunier in a west-facing block. He harvested fractions of those parcels four days before he intended to harvest the rest of the grapes, letting the fruit from the early harvest macerate at cold temperatures before the rest of the fruit came in. Then he blended it all together for a spontaneous fermentation. Lécaillon describes it as the Roederer way of making rosé, but with a shorter maceration (for Roederer Rosé, it is seven to ten days). In contrast to Cristal, from chalk soils, the Brut Nature Rosé is an earthier wine from the clay soils of Cumières. Earthy in the way the earth feels cool, this vintage is sunny and summery as well.”
Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
“This bone-dry Champagne, conceived by Roederer and designer Philippe Starck, shows fine maturity that balances the tight texture that still comes from the freshest fruits. With this balance and poise this beautiful wine is ready to drink.”
Wine Spectator 93 Points
“Firm, with racy acidity, this finely integrated rosé Champagne boasts a subtle undertow of smoky mineral and a lacy mousse supporting smoked almond, kumquat, dried white cherry and spun honey flavors that echo on the zesty finish. Drink now through 2030.”
Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
“Even better, the 2012 Starck Brut Nature Rosé offers a stunning nose of tart strawberries, rose petals, orange blossom, and ample rocky, minerality notes as well as medium to full-bodied richness, a pretty, beautifully balanced mouthfeel, and perfect balance. It’s another brilliant Champagne to enjoy over the coming 10-15 years.”
The Wine Advocate 92+ Points
“The 2012 Brut Nature Rosé derives from biodynamically cultivated vineyards in Cumières, and this is the first time Roederer has ever released a rosé without dosage. Offering up aromas of warm bread, orange zest, red berries, oyster shell and rose petals, the wine is medium to full-bodied, brisk and incisive, with racy acids and a tight-knit, mineral core, complemented by a pinpoint mousse. Concluding with a penetrating, saline finish, this will unwind with a couple of years' bottle age, though true to the ambitions behind it, it will always remain a more minimalist expression of Champagne. It's a blend of 55% Pinot Noir, 25% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay, its hue derived from "cold infusion" before pressing of a small percentage of the Pinot Noir in the blend.”
Vinous Media 94 Points
“The 2012 Brut Nature Rosé is rich, explosive and pulsing with energy. Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon adds an infusion of 25% cold soaked Pinot Noir into the same base wine as the 2012 Brut Nature, an approach that works beautifully in bringing out the energy and focus that make Champagnes from Cumières so distinctive. Even with all of its power, the 2012 is delicate, airy and full of nuance. This is such a gorgeous wine. I would prefer to drink it on the younger side.”
JamesSuckling.com 94 Points
“The fresh strawberries here are so clear and alluring. Some peaches, too. The palate offers pink grapefruit and fresh cherries, laced with lemons and yellow grapefruit. Deep, mineral backbone with a smooth resolve. Buoyed with pink fruit. Drink now.”
Overview
Champagne Louis Roederer's Brut Nature is a champagne without artifice, conceived as an exchange, forged by a long-standing friendship. This champagne is the personification of the free thinking that resulted from an encounter between Maison Louis Roederer and the creator Philippe Starck.
The discussions between Frédéric Rouzaud, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon and Philippe Starck, which started over ten years ago and resulted in the first opus, Brut Nature 2006, continued and evolved, leading to a second vintage in 2009, and now a third. Today, Maison Roederer and Philippe Starck are continuing this exciting adventure with the release of the 2012 vintage.
“This is a vintage from a year that gave us high quality with grapes of remarkable strength and character, offering a particular sensitivity and even more vibrant and generous Pinot Noirs, which inspired us to create not one, but two, champagnes: a white and a rosé.”
Winemaking
The “Domaine Brut Nature” covers only ten hectares and the vineyards are cultivated according to the principles of biodynamics, virtuous viticulture that preserves the character of this terroir. When summer comes to an end and the harvest season gets underway, the grapes are carefully and gently harvested together on the same day. They are then pressed together, all at once, a technique commonly used by our forefathers. All this ensures that the wine has great complexity. The structure of the Pinot Noir, the ripeness of the Meunier, the floral character and lively acidity of the Chardonnay come together in a single harmonious movement.
For the Brut Nature Rosé, a small proportion of the domaine’s Pinot noirs are harvested separately and undergo a few days’ cold “infusion” without alcohol fermentation before being incorporated into the Brut Nature Blanc juices. Zero dosage.
Tasting Notes
Orange hue with salmon pink tints. Patient, even effervescence. Spicy aromas of Sichuan pepper combined with sappy and floral notes of violet and gentian. Toast and mocha on the nose resulting in an elegant and concentrated bouquet. After aeration, intense fruity notes start to emerge along with concentrated notes of wild raspberries. The palate is fruity. The Pinot noir offers an intense fruitiness and a tight and juicy structure complemented by ripe, almost sweet tannins. The fruit and texture display remarkable depth and are starting to show a typical “Pinot” character.
Harvest Notes
2012 was one of the most challenging and complicated years ever experienced in Champagne. However, difficult conditions often lead to great things… The low yields, due to the unpredictable weather, combined with continental conditions towards the end of the season, gave us unusual levels of maturity, resulting in rich, full-bodied and structured wines worthy of the greatest vintages in Champagne.
Cumières’ clay hillside, turned towards the sun and basking in its light, is a blessed enclave, whose grapes always possess a remarkable perfume and richness. This land, on the banks of the Marne river, produces opulent, generous and perfectly ripe grapes. These Pinots Noirs have constantly stood out for their quality, producing champagnes that our forefathers used to refer to as "river wines". Brut Nature was conceived to develop this idea of filiation of soil and climate.
Technical Information
Varietals: 55% Pinot Noir, 25% Pinot Meunier, 20% Chardonnay