Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The bold fruit flavors make this a wine of primary colors for now, from peach to kiwi, grapefruit and strawberry. The fruit is fragrant and lush while the wine's acidity keeps it mouthwatering and completely dry. A zesty Champagne that's built to age, tame it with food if you open it now-roast salmon with chanterelles and cream would contrast it well.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2004 Brut emerges from the glass with attractive layers of fruit that come together in a gorgeous expression of perfumed fruit. This silky, textured and totally finessed Champagne is another impeccable wine from Roederer. The 2004 growing season was long and yields were higher than normal, yet Roederer has achieved a wonderful balance in this wine. The 2004 Brut was made from the estate’s north-facing vineyards and 40% of the wine was aged in oak. This is Lot L032125A00017, disgorged in December, 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2016.
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Wine Spectator
Crisp and green, in a grassy, verdant way. Shows plenty of lime, orange peel and apple notes, with a touch of fresh-cut grass or chive. Balanced and elegant, with subtle length. Drink now through 2018. 800 cases imported.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’