Roederer Estate Clark Road Vineyard

Anderson Valley, California, United States

Vintage:2020 (Current)

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Roederer Estate Clark Road Vineyard 2020
  • WRO 95
  • WS 92

Reviews

Wine Spectator 92 Points October 7, 2024, Tim Fish

Refined and handsomely structured, with elegantly layered strawberry and apple flavors that are laced with notes of spiced nuts and brioche, finishing with lift. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now.

Wine Review Online 95 Points September 2024, Rich Cook

The premier sparkling wine producer in California has just recently released this, their very first vineyard designated offering. As you might expect, it is a winner on all fronts, and it is a slight departure from the usual house style that has brought the label to such prominence. The hallmarks are here of course – a fine, creamy mousse, with beautiful perlage in the glass, bold aromas and flavors – but the stylistic difference comes from the dosage level. This is noticeably drier than the regular non-vintage or vintage L’Ermitage offerings, and it is a welcome addition to the portfolio. It renders the regional apple character found in the other wines in a more austere fashion, allowing more palate real estate to subtle cherry fruit, stony mineral and toasted croissant notes. I suspect that winemaker Arnaud Weyrich, the driver behind the estate’s success, has wanted to offer a “grower” sort of wine for a while, but also wanted to wait for the perfect opportunity.

Overview

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.

Clark Road is the first single-vineyard release from Roederer Estate and is at the core of Roederer Estate philosophy: deep knowledge of its family-owned vineyards and careful craftmanship of site-selected wines. Clark Road is the access road to our vineyards and also the name of the family that farmed and owned an apple orchard on the site. The single-vineyard wines that we release, including Clark Road, will showcase the sense of place and the expression of the fruit in its terroir.

Winemaking

2020 Clark Road Vineyard is a hand-made bottling. This vineyard is on the cool west side of Anderson Valley, where Pinot Noir thrives. We are intimately familiar with this site, which we have been farming since 1999. During those years, we have learned that we can leave the fruit on the vine longer than other sites, and as we allow it to ripen, it develops the juicy acidity so essential to top-quality sparkling wine. Clark Road was partially fermented in casks (10%) and with a small amount of reserve wine aged in casks (1.3%) to give the Roederer Estate family touch.

It was disgorged in November 2023 After 32 months on the yeast.

Tasting Notes

Flint and pastry crust aromatics that showcase long aging on the yeast give way to delicate ripe cherry flavors. The bubbles are soft on entry and respect the character and structure of this 76.8% Pinot Noir, 23.2% Chardonnay blend. It is bolder than usual Roederer Estate blends, yet delicate and long. It is a food wine champion due to its Pinot structure and low dosage at 5 g/L.

Technical Information

Varietals: 76.8% Pinot Noir, 23.2% Chardonnay (1.3% reserve vintage 2018 and 2017)

Wine Alcohol: 12.9%

pH: 3.16

Dosage: 5 g/L