“It's rare to find a sparkling wine outside of Champagne with this rosé's finesse. The Roederer Estate team, led by Arnaud Weyrich and under the guidance of Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon in Reims, are rosé specialists. They produce this wine by first selecting the top fruit from Roederer's 580 acres of estate-owned vineyards, blending virtually equal amounts of chardonnay and pinot noir as the base wine, and including a small amount of delicately macerated pinot noir for color and fragrance. That points up the pale-pink raspberry freshness of this eight-year-old youth. Like the best release of L'Ermitage, those flavors have precision, a concentrated presence and ethereal finesse.”

“There's ample red-apple flavor at the center of this wine, lingering with a light touch, and hints of spicy orange and ripe peach. That sweet fruit finishes clean, with a gentle sweep of acidity, balanced and long. For scallop and sashimi.”

“Pale salmon-pink in color, the 2006 L'Ermitage Brut Rosé, made with about 11 grams per liter dosage, gives up bombastic scents of warm yellow peaches, quince paste and musk melon with oodles of red berries, floral perfume, brioche and buttery pastry notes. The palate is medium-bodied and offers explosive flavor layers with a mineral backbone and creamy mousse, finishing very long and layered. Disgorged in January of 2014, it's in a wonderful spot for drinking now but will continue to develop in the cellar.”

“Made with ten grams per liter dosage and disgorged in January of 2016, the 2009 L'Ermitage Brut slowly offers up scents of apple pie, quince paste, toast, honey, hay and mushrooms with touches of crème caramel and an undercurrent of shell-like minerality. The medium-bodied palate is still offering loads of pure orchard fruits with a wrapping of brioche and toasty accents, creamy but still lively mousse and a long, layered finish. This is in a lovely spot for drinking now but will benefit from more time in bottle if you like mature bubbles.”

“The 2009 L'Ermitage Brut Rosé, disgorged in February of 2017 and made with about 10 grams per liter dosage, has a pale salmon-pink color and aromas just beginning to segue from red berry and peachy fruit to notes of caramel, mushroom and pastry. The medium-bodied palate slowly opens to bright citrus flavors with energetic mousse and a long, bright, juicy finish. It's drinking well now but should continue to age well in bottle.”