Roederer Estate L'Ermitage Brut 2019 750ml

If sunshine could be bottled it would be this. Aromas of fresh succulent stone fruit, a hint of yeast, citrus blossoms and notes of quince on the nose. The mousse is creamy and light with baked red apples, blood orange zest, white grapefruit, sticky caramel and layered salinity with a mouthwatering finish. It will bring a smile to your lips.

Pretty, delicate aromas of salt, herbs and pine forest. A compelling wine that really speaks of place, with fine bubbles that coat the palate before resolving in a finish of citrus oil and resinous herbs. Very fresh, layered, vibrant and medium- to full-bodied, with some wonderful chalkiness at the end. 52% chardonnay and 48% pinot noir. Disgorged February 2024. 6 g/L dosage. Drink or hold.

The 2019 Brut L'Ermitage tête de cuvée blends 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir, estate grown from one growing season, with 4% of reserve Chardonnay from the 2016 vintage, and a dosage of 6 grams per liter. Disgorgement on February 2024. A wine not made every year, there's an outstanding opening note of richness and sweetness, kept longer on the yeast to build creaminess and texture around the fresh natural acidity. As a result, it's a focused, nearly full-bodied, expressive wine of tremendous complexity that balances pear and apple notes with crème brûlée and brioche.

A young, potent wine, the 2019 Brut L'Ermitage is shaping up to be the greatest wine ever made at Roederer Estate. The aromatics are beguiling, but the 2019 is going to need a number of years to settle down. Readers will have to be patient. The 2019 is seriously impressive, but it needs time. It is the only wine in this series that was vinified with full malolactic fermentation and has the most lots fermented in wood here. It also saw the lowest dosage ever here, at 6 grams per liter. These choices look to be a winning approach for the future. Superb. Disgorged: February 2024.