Louis Roederer’s New Releases - 2016 Cristal, 2017 Vintage Brut, Collection 246 + more…
Enjoy a 13 Roederer Champagne Masterclass or Dinner including:
Three Vintage Mini Vertical of Cristal
Vintage 2016 (New Release) | Vintage 2015 | Vintage 2012 (Magnum)
A Pre-Release Tasting of The Collection 246
&
- The Stellar Cristal Rosé 2014
Saturday 11 October
Masterclass: 1-3pm, 13 Champagnes with Kate Lamont Canapes $$395.00
Dinner: 7pm, 13 Champagnes & 4 Course Menu, $595.00 - Sold Out
Louis Roederer Context:
Heir to the Maison de Champagne in 1833, entrepreneur and aesthete, Louis Roederer takes the far-sighted decision to enrich the vineyard to control all stages of winemaking and creates a completely original style, spirit and taste. In the mid-19th century, with the purchase of vineyards selected with instinct and eclectic spirit on the lands of the Grands Crus de Champagne, Louis Roederer went against the current of the times.
While others buy the grapes, Louis Roederer takes care of the vineyard, deciphers the character of each plot and methodically buys the best ones. Convinced that the quintessence of a great wine resides in the land, a lover of tradition and looking to the future, Louis Roederer traces an exceptional destiny for the House that will bear his name ever since. His successor, Louis Roederer II, is animated by the same patient vision of champagne, the same patrimonial conception of the wine estate, the same resourcefulness.
Starting in the 1870s, the wines of Champagne Louis Roederer travel as far as the United States and Russia, to the table of Tsar Alexander II.
A man of taste, an inveterate researcher, Louis Roederer creates a new champagne for the emperor and launches a new idea: the first "cuvée de prestige", born in 1876 under the name of "Cristal". Its subtlety and elegance will make the reputation of excellence of the Maison Louis Roederer ever since.
Always independent, and always managed by the family, the Maison Louis Roederer is today directed by his son, Frédéric Rouzaud, a member of the seventh generation of the dynasty. With the same patience, an unshakeable fidelity to its creative vocation, the Maison Louis Roederer now ships more than three million bottles every year to over one hundred countries around the world.
www.louis-roederer.com
Tracy Mann – Our Host
Tracy is one of Australia's most experienced Champagne educators and consultants - and is endorsed by the Champagne Bureau Australia as such.
In 1996 she was the winner of the highly coveted Vin de Champagne Award, and in 2003 was inducted into the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne in recognition of her work to promote and educate Australians about all matters Champenois.
In 2016 she achieved Honours in the Champagne Master-Level Examinations held by The Wine Scholar Guild.
Tracy is a recognised ambassador for the region of Champagne, and regularly hosts private tours of the region as well as conducting Perth's most comprehensive champagne education seminars.
But … these words do not do Tracy justice.
She has been a regular visitor to Champagne over 25 years. She has tasted many thousands of the region’s wines … and she knows the appellation, the Champagne houses, their owners … and the winemakers … intimately.
With her accumulated knowledge, she has developed into a unique, articulate, entertaining and very informative guide to the region, its wines and its stories.
The Champagnes
First Course
Collection 244 Deluxe MAGNUM
Very light straw-yellow hue with a discreet, reserved aroma: there are straw/mineral/quartzy, broken-rock and fresh herb aromas, the palate is quite full and voluminous but also dry and clean at the finish, aided by a touch of phenolic grip. It's one of the more generous blends with big flavour and some roundness, generosity and an appetising finish. (2019 base vintage).
95 Points - Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Collection 245
This is the 245th blend of Roederer's non-vintage Champagne. It is a fine wine, highlighting the blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, bringing in reserve wines to give richness and balance. It is fresh, beginning to show signs of maturity, with an apple aroma and a ripe palate. Drink now.
94 Points - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
Collection 246 (New Release)
Second Course
2016 Vintage Brut
Complex nose of restrained strawberries and lemon zest, with macerated flowers and shortbread. Full body and plenty of concentration, with pinprick mousse, long and chewy, integrated acidity and amazing length. Pinot noir and chardonnay. Drink or hold.
96 Points - James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com
2015 Vintage Brut MAGNUM
A great 2015 vintage champagne! Super-elegant synthesis of pinot noir and chardonnay character with a dazzling interplay of complex red apple, citrus and delicate floral aromas with racy acidity and chalky minerality, that is animating for mind and body. Unusually graceful finish for the vintage. 70% pinot noir from Verzy, the highest point of the Montagne de Reims, that’s also very close to the forest. 30% chardonnay from Chouilly, another rather cool location. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
96 Points - Stuart Pigott, Jamessuckling.com
Third Course
2017 Blanc de Blanc
Croissants, sliced pears, apples, white flowers and almonds on the nose of this creamy and elegant blanc de blancs. Very silky on the palate, with almost imperceptible bubbles and delicate pastry notes. Soft and beautifully balanced. Chardonnay from the Grand Cru village of Avize. Drink now or hold.
95 Points - James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com
2015 Blanc de Blanc MAGNUM
The 2015 Blanc de Blancs is a fabulous choice for drinking now and over the next decade or so. Soft and creamy, the 2015 is immediately caressing in its embrace. Citrus confit, white flowers, spice and a hint of pastry all meld together. There is something effortless about the 2015 that is hard to describe. The 2015 is not the last word in complexity, but it is supremely delicious. Terrific for the year.
94 Points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com
Fourth Course
2016 Cristal (New Release)
This iconic Champagne, first made in the 19th century for the Tsar of Russia, shows its typical stunning balance and poise between richness and concentration. It has a pure white fruit and honeysuckle aroma and tight, tangy fresh fruit flavors. Just ready to drink, the wine will age well, for at least 20 years. Organic.
98 Points - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
2015 Cristal
"The winter was wet and cold, summer record-breaking hot – and rain in August saved the vintage. The usual 60/40% pinot noir chardonnay split, 25% fermented in oak, disgorged in November 2022, the dosage 7g/l. A contrast of freshness and richness, the fruit concentrated and complex. Eternal life."
98 points and Top 100 Wines of 2023 - James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
2012 Cristal MAGNUM
For the first time entirely from certified organic grapes. Mid greenish-yellow hue with silver reflections; persistent, fine bubbly mousse. Typical Cristal nose with white apple, fresh peach, fine biscuit, a touch of orange marmalade, also lime; an attractive bouquet. Very rich, tropical fruit nuances, a little more broad-shouldered than the finely chiselled 2008, supported by lively acidity, mineral and balanced on the finish. Has something immediately appealing, but will still improve with further bottle maturation. Once again a candidate for "Champagne of the Vintage”.
99 Points - Peter Moser, Falstaff.com
Fifth Course
2017 Vintage Rose (New Release)
60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir. Sourced from Roederer’s ‘La Rivière’ estate in Cumières and Chouilly. 29% aged in oak, 24% malolactic conversion. Dosage 8 g/l.
Very subtle rosé hue, almost a brut non-rosé in colour. Leafy, soft and silky on the palate. Raspberry/strawberry cut with lemon acidity and a mineral streak. A fine vintage rosé.
17/20 - Andy Howard MW, Jancisrobinson.com
2013 Vintage Rose MAGNUM
The 2013 Vintage shows the compelling interplay of ripeness and high acids that are so typical of the year. The Vintage is built on a core of Pinot from Verzy, with Chardonnay from Chouilly, on the Cramant border. Constantly changing in the glass, the 2013 is a fabulous Champagne will reward readers with many years of exceptional drinking. The saltiness of Chouilly Chardonnay is a wonderful foil for Pinot here. Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon continues to bump up the Pinot here, as he takes the Vintage back to the blend that was used in the 1840s. Dosage is 8.5 grams per liter.
93 Points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com
2014 Cristal Rose
Roederer's 2014 Cristal Rosé has turned out beautifully, unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet cherries, almonds, citrus fruit and red berries mingled with notions of white flowers and wet chalk. Full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a layered core of fruit and a pillowy mousse, it's deep, racy and electric, concluding with a long, mineral finish. Comparatively open out of the gates, it's no slight to the 2014's seriousness to say that it will drink well while its 2013 counterpart sleeps in the cellar. Deriving from just a handful of the over 39 blocks that inform the regular Cristal 2014, I suspect that its origins have even more to do with the extra dimension it possesses above and beyond its white counterpart than the subtle infusion of Pinot Noir phenolics that give it its delicate pink hue.
97 Points - William Kelley, RobertParker.com
Some of Roederer’s additional Accolades and Critic Comments …
"Roederer's Brut Vintage is a wine that puts many prestige cuvées to shame." William Kelley
Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, Chef de Caves & EVP of Louis Roederer (left) and Tyson Stelzer (right).
Tyson Stelzer on Louis Roederer and the Champagne Guide VII.
“Announcing Louis Roederer in the top ten houses in The Champagne Guide Edition VII! Featuring a record 48 reviews over 28 pages! There are few in Champagne today with an intellect as sharp, an attention to detail as acute and a nerve as strong as Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. This year he celebrates his 25th year of extraordinary initiatives in Roederer’s vineyards unparalleled in the region, and a revolution in the winery to match. Never have his cuvées looked more characterful or more pure, effortlessly juxtaposing jubilant precision, deep complexity, long-lingering endurance and the smiling, self-assured, gracious confidence of their creator.”
Tim Hall, Director Scala School of Wine, UK Champagne Ambassador 2013-14, jancisrobinson.com
“I find few realise how different Roederer is from other leading champagne houses, even though they know its range
is topped by the coveted Cristal. Roederer owns 240 ha of vineyards, some 70% of its needs, and its estate includes a proud raft of mid-slope land set in the top grands crus villages. Most houses, in contrast, with little land of their own, grow few grapes and have to buy them in from growers. Where Roederer treads an even more distinctive path is in the viticulture on its estate which rejects the use of both herbicide and pesticide. The vineyard is 98% ploughed, and 26 ha of that by horses. A full 75 ha is now managed biodynamically, making Roederer the most significant exponent of ‘biodynamie’ in all Champagne. Finally, all the wines in its range are made as single vintages but one: the Brut Premier NV.”