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.

L’Ermitage, Roederer Estate’s special tête de cuvée since 1989, is a sparkling wine made only in exceptional years from pre-selected, estate-grown grapes. Roederer Estate produces its sparkling wines in the French méthode traditionelle and adds special oak-aged reserve wines to each blend.

The Rosé blend is crafted using a small fraction of red wine, from Pinot Noir grown on the estate, using Burgundian maceration technique that allows skin contact to extract color and aromas. This red wine brings delicate berry flavors and a nice color to extend the L’Ermitage smoothness and subtleties, allowing for a unique tasting experience.

The 2020 is a classic vintage for L’Ermitage where maturity and brightness beautifully frame the wine. There was no malolactic fermentation as there was in the 2019, but there was a bit more maturity on the vine for that difficult vintage, which was during the Covid pandemic. The proportion of red wine from Pinot Noir added to the blend to give the rose texture was 4.8%. The dosage on the Rosé called for 6.5 g/L to give wrapping to the underlying acidity and retain a clean, crisp finish. The dosage was selected from oak cask 2020 vintage. Following disgorgement, 2020 L’Ermitage Rosé was aged an additional seven months on the cork prior to release.

Like its sibling L’Ermitage Brut, the Rosé has that joyful underlying brightness with Pinot Noir texture that makes the wine intriguing. We are in the world of patisserie, with sweet grilled peach aromas and long textured creaminess.

The 2020 vintage in Anderson Valley was marked by a drier-than-normal winter, followed by a warmer-than-usual summer because of the lack of fog. Budbreak and flowering occurred somewhat earlier than during a usual growing season.