Champagne Louis Roederer's Brut Nature is a champagne without artifice, conceived as an exchange, forged by a long-standing friendship with Philippe Starck. Abstract conversations between Frédéric Rouzaud, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon and Philippe Starck began with a few very specific descriptors which formed the foundations for the Brut Nature: honest, minimal, diagonal, modern.

Brut Nature 2018, the fifth opus of this cuvée, is charming, delicate and refined, taking on the generous character of the year and turning it into a wave of fruity, saline freshness.

The “Domaine Brut Nature” covers only ten hectares (25 acres) 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. There is no subsequent blending and the wines are bottled immediately after fermentation. Ageing on the lees continues until June, almost a full year, during which the lees nourish and enhance the body of the wine. The liqueur de tirage is added at low pressure to create soft bubbles and a creamy mouthfeel . The wine is left undosed to preserve all its purity .

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.

31% of the wines are vinified in oak. No malolactic fermentation. The dosage is 0 g/L. 

Bright, brilliant pale yellow hue. Clean, energetic and perfectly uniform streams of bubbles dispersed evenly throughout the glass, a result of the reduced viscosity due to the absence of sugar. The bouquet is charming, delicate and refined with subtle toasted aromas of yellow fruits (mirabelle plum) and nuts (fresh almonds). It reveals a ripe, velvety and almost sunny character. With aeration, the aromatic freshness intensifies, disclosing aromas of red fruits (blackcurrant) along with sweet flowers (lilac). The bouquet is unmistakably shaped by the Pinot noirs and Meuniers. On entry to the palate, the wine shows a vibrant energy lined with a velvety, soft and juicy texture. The fruit is bursting with ripeness and saline energy, generously enveloping the palate before quickly giving way to a fresh, vibrant and sapid expression. A wave of fruity, saline freshness seems to sweep across the palate, carried by a powdery, slightly drying and bitter finish. This champagne is an absolute delight—fragrant and easy to drink, leaving an impression of great harmony and perfect balance (neither acidic nor sunny). This Brut Nature is fine and delicate, yet concentrated and dense and reveals an oily, limestone finish, almost evocative of “crushed seashells”.

2018 was an exceptionally hot, dry and bountiful year—and remarkably healthy too. After an unusually wet winter, the spring was mild and stormy. The summer was particularly hot, dry and sunny, surpassing even the records set in 2003. The harvest was abundant and the grapes were in near-perfect health, resulting in elegant, fruity wines.