Champagne Louis Roederer Rosé Vintage

Champagne, France

Vintage:2016 (Past)

2015 (Past) | 2017 (Current)

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Champagne Louis Roederer Rosé Vintage 2016
  • JS 95
  • WE 94
  • VFTC 94
  • D 94
  • WS 93
  • V 90

Reviews

Wine Enthusiast 94 Points December 2023, Roger Voss

“Finely mature, this bottling is just right. Its fruit has softened and a touch of toastiness has come through to give great balance. The Champagne is totally ready to drink.”

View From the Cellar 94 Points December 1, 2023, John Gilman

“The 2016 Louis Roederer Brut Rosé is made this vintage from a blend of sixty-two percent pinot noir from Cumières and thirty-eight percent chardonnay from Chouilly. This year, twentyone percent of the vins clairs are raised in barrels, but with only four percent of the blend going through malolactic fermentation. It was finished with a dosage of eight grams per liter. The bouquet is bright and very elegant, wafting from the glass in a mix of tangerine, strawberries, bread dough, a complex base of chalky soil tones, orange zest, rose petals and just a whisper of oak hovering in the background. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and refined, with a lovely core, superb mineral drive, elegant mousse and a very long, precise and impeccably balanced finish. This is a gorgeous wine that is already drinking beautifully, but which will be even better down the road with some bottle age. 2023-2060.”

Wine Spectator 93 Points September 20, 2023, Alison Napjus

“Firm and focused, this finely knit version offers a satiny texture and hints of smoke and oyster shell, which underscore flavors of pureed raspberry, peach skin and blood orange granita, with a rich touch of toasted brioche. Long, lightly spiced finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2030.”

JamesSuckling.com 95 Points July 7, 2023, James Suckling

“Fantastic aroma of Mara des Bois strawberries. Very juicy with an explosion of strawberries and ripe nectarines. Stunning vitality due to the bright and fine mousse plus the lively acidity. Long and elegant finish that pulls you back for more. A cuvee of 60% pinot noir from Cumieres and 40% chardonnay from Chouilly. 8 g/l dosage. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.”

Decanter 94 Points June 9, 2023, Georgie Hindle

“A nose full of rose petals with orange skin and berry fruits, not as expressive as some of the other Champagnes in the masterclass but this has a lovely soft, and delicate aromatic profile. Tangy lemon, raspberry, strawberry and orange on the palate with a sea spray, saline finish that is particularly moreish. Fully flavoured, round and complete with mouthwatering acidity, lots of sapidity and an extremely long finish. A lovely combination of both bitter and sour elements giving such complexity and nuance on the palate.”

Vinous Media 90 Points November 2022, Antonio Galloni

“The 2016 Brut Rosé is charming. Soft and inviting, the 2016 will drink beautifully right out of the gate. Readers will find a beautifully perfumed, gracious Rosé. The 2016 is not the richest or most complex vintage Rosé Roederer has released lately, but it is impeccably balanced and very easy to enjoy for its sensual personality. If I have one critique, is that the dosage feels a bit high. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.”

Overview

A great rosé Champagne must be made from very ripe grapes, which are sometimes difficult to obtain in the Champagne climate. As a result, Louis Roederer has chosen to invest in one of the earliest Champagne crus, Cumières, for which the steeply-sloping, shallow clay and limestone soils face south and benefit from the additional light reflected from the river Marne, enabling phenolic maturity to be achieved. In these select terroirs, Louis Roederer applies the precise winemaking methods required for the production of a saignée rosé. The style of this rosé is elegant, full-bodied and with delicate fruitiness..

Louis Roederer's Rosé Vintage is 100% estate-bottled from the grapes of the historic family-owned vineyards in Cumières and Chouilly.

Winemaking

A rosé created by a long, gentle infusion of Pinot noir that extracts its juicy ripeness while preserving its tremendous saline freshness. In this process, some Chardonnay juices are added to the Pinot noir maceration, to ferment together and achieve the perfect integration of the two grape varieties. 21% vinified in oak casks, with 4% undergoing malolactic fermentation. The dosage is 8 g/l.

Tasting Notes

Salmon pink hue with bright red tints. Deep, intense color. The bubbles are fine yet vibrant and energetic. The summery bouquet shows exceptional intensity and freshness with its aromas of ripe, juicy stone fruit (wild peach) complemented by zesty red fruit (redcurrant) and citrus notes (blood orange). Upon aeration, the nose develops more jammy notes of Roussillon red apricot. The palate is soft, juicy and concentrated on entry and then quickly shows a chalky, saline freshness that structures the wine and lends it a voluptuous yet delicate mouthfeel. The juicy, ripe fruit (nectarine and wild peach) and citrus (lemon) give the wine a fresh, zesty character that is underpinned by a subtle hint of bitterness. The soft, delicate bubbles coat the palate and impart a velvety texture. The end palate is mouth-watering and ever so slightly salty with discreet tannins and a lovely subtle bitterness that complements the incredible dry chalkiness of the wine and lingers on the seemingly never-ending finish.

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. Our 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. Harvests from 15 September to 1 October 2016.

Technical Information

Varietals: 62% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay