A single-vineyard Pinot Noir-driven wine like a Grower Champagne, the 2021 Clark Road Vineyard is defined more by the site’s proximity to the ocean and altitude from the valley floor than its soils, a place where the producer felt they could do something relatively repeatable every year (although it took a decade to find). About 11 miles from the ocean, the grapes hang over an extended growing season taking in the cool air and morning fog. At 77.6% Pinot Noir, 22.4% Chardonnay, and 5.5 grams per liter dosage, the Chardonnay brings a lightness of acidity, a light, ethereal quality met by the Pinot’s crunch of red apple and texture. Moderately rich, it’s medium-bodied and has a creaminess balanced by plenty of acidity, with a bold finish. Disgorged December 2024. Drink now and over the next 10-12 years.

Made even less regularly than the L’Ermitage Brut (the last vintage was 2015), the outstanding 2019 Brut Rose L'Ermitage spent five years on the yeast. It exudes fresh-picked strawberries and summer peach along a seamless, crisp, and lengthy continuum that is complex and layered without ever being heavy. A nearly 50-50 split of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, it includes 4.5% reserve red wine, which adds body and color. Soft and undulating in medium-bodied girth on the midpalate, there are hints of fresh herb, rose, and a creaminess to the finish that feels as though it could go on for days. Continue to enjoy through 2039.

The 2020 Brut L'Ermitage is the latest release of Roederer Estate's flagship. This powerful, tightly wound sparkling wine is incredibly reticent, and readers will have to be patient. Winemaker Arnaud Weyrich decided to block the malolactic fermentation, which adds to the wine's shyness.

The 2021 Apple Alley Vineyard is a dense, effusive wine. Peach, apricot, white flowers, acacia, tangerine oil and floral notes soar from the glass. About 25% of the lots were done in oak, which comes through in the wine's textural presence and overall feel. It's a vivid, exceptionally beautiful wine. Dosage is 5 grams per liter.

The 2021 Clark Road Vineyard is a powerful, deep sparkling wine. Green apple, jasmine, white peach, chalk and slate race across the palate. The 2021 is wonderfully deep and fleshy yet retains terrific vibrancy from start to finish. Brisk saline undertones extend the resonant, salivating finish. Dosage is 5.5 grams per liter