Louis Roederer : Rose Vintage 2012

A fine Rose champagne, mineral and complex

The estate

Founded in 1776 in Reims, the Louis Roederer Champagne House has remained family-owned and independent. Following over 200 years of existence, Louis Roederer is still in the hands of the same family. Today, headed by Frederic Rouzaud, who represents the family’s seventh generation, Louis Roederer embodies the excellence of Champagne wines throughout the world, due to its vintages that are crafted like true works of art.

The vineyard

Comprising nearly 241 hectares of vines, the Louis Roederer House’s strength comes from its extraordinary vineyard, made up entirely of Grands and Premiers Crus in the Marne Valley, the Montagne de Reims and the Cote des Blancs. An impressive patchwork of terroirs, the Louis Roederer vineyard is divided into 410 plots that reflect the diversity of the Champagne region’s soils.

The wine

A true embodiment of a "Roederer rose" in the words of the House's Cellar Master, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, the 2012 Vintage by Louis Roederer unveils the perfect alchemy of a Champagne in which the concentration, fruitiness and vinosity of the Pinot Noir variety are combined with the elegant purity and freshness of the finest Chardonnay terroirs.

Louis Roederer's exceptional Rose Vintage 2012 stems from the shallow clay-limestone terroirs of Cumieres. Facing south, the vineyard’s slopes enjoy the temperature regulating influence of the  Marne river, and display the required conditions to ensure the perfect ripeness of the Pinot Noir grapes.

The vintage

Although 2012 was remembered for the challenged faced, rare levels of ripeness were achieved. Despite low yields, the result is a fine wine, with an intense aromatic richness and a beautiful structure.

Vinification and aging

Vinified underwood for 24%, the 2012 Louis Roederer Vintage Rose exhibits a unique character by revealing the fruitiness and juicy vinosity of the Pinot Noir grapes while retaining the freshness of the Chardonnay variety.

Developed by the house over the years and called "infusion", the technique used includes a maceration of Pinot Noir juice with some Chardonnay juice which leads to a perfect integration of the grape varieties. In order to preserve the freshness of the wine on the palate, malolactic fermentation was not carried out.

Aged for 4 years on laths, followed by a further 6 months after disgorgement. The dosage is 9 g/l.

The blend

This 2012 Louis Roederer Vintage Rose comprises a blend of Pinot Noir (63%) and Chardonnay (37%).

The tasting

Colou

Brilliant, the color is a golden pink with red highlights. The effervescence is regular and fine.

Nose

Intense, the bouquet reveals the richness of blackcurrant and candied orange notes, followed by the freshness of orange blossom and the bewitching and gourmet Madagascar vanilla scents.

Palate

In a round and fleshy attack, the wine gradually coats the palate, unveiling a texture with an almost tactile, gourmet and silky sensation. The richness of the fruit is highlighted by perfumes of ripe fruit that give a somewhat sweet impression. The terroir’s minerality then expresses itself through the purity of the Chardonnay grapes, which completes the persistent finish with a fresh expression and notes that evoke the finesse of hazelnuts and the bitterness of cocoa. A silky and very precise Rose champagne.