Louis Roederer Vintage '15

What to Expect A ‟weather waltz”, and one with clear, sharp contrasts! The spring was sunny and dry and ended with a heatwave in June; summer was autumnal, cool and rainy; September was hot, sunny and very dry… weather we would usually associate with the month of August. The ‘key’ to the vintage lay in the soils as well as in the work carried out by the winegrowers. The good drainage properties of the chalk on the lower-middle part of the hillside helped us greatly by allowing the excess water from the summer to drain away which limited any excess vigour in the vines. These factors were complemented by our increasingly eco-friendly viticultural practices which allow us to take our quest for grapes of perfect balance and maturity even further.   Technical details 71% Pinot noir 29% Chardonnay disgorged, early 2019. Dosage: 8 g/l. Wine in Oak 25% Tasting Notes Yellow hue with shimmering, slightly amber, tints. Steady yet vibrant bubbles. Soft, almost sweet, intense and deep bouquet of slightly tart yellow (peach) and red (red currant) fruits. Hints of spice, cocoa beans and smoke add to this generous, complex and gastronomic bouquet. Broad, fruity and dense on the palate. The concentrated, ripe red fruit is transformed into nectar... a sensation of sweet concentration which turns to velvet thanks to the silky smooth, almost sensual, bubbles.   About the house This house has serious pedigree and a long history of making outstanding wines. Roederer is still family owned and run and has a significant land holding of over 230 hectares allowing them to supply 70% of their grape requirements with excellent fruit. We are impressed by Louis Roederer’s increasing commitment to exploring biodynamics both with treatment of their vast vineyard holdings plus the recent acquisition of a 15 hectare biodynamic parcel from Leclerc Briant. A relatively small 3 million bottles per annum of production are exported, largely to the USA.   The Harvest Year After a mild and very humid winter, 2014 has proved no exception to these starkly contrasting weather conditions. The spring was dry and sunny, without significant frosts, with slightly warmer temperatures than normal, followed by a cool, rainy summer. Then, in a third phase: the great miracle of the month of September 2014 commenced. September was continental, dry, and warm … a dream come true! The continental influence began at the end of August: there was a north to north-east wind, bringing cool nights followed by warm, sunny days. This weather pattern was particularly helpful for maturing the grapes, which were bathed in sunshine and light. However, the most noteworthy result was a phenomenon of concentration in the grapes which was reminiscent of the final phase of the 2002 vintage: due to the effects of the sunshine, wind, and temperature variations, the berries lost water content, which evaporated, resulting in a concentration of sugars, acids, and flavours.