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Louis Roederer is a producer of
champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...
based in
Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded b ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Founded in 1776, the business was inherited and renamed by Louis Roederer in 1833. It remains as one of the few independent and family-run ''maisons de champagne'' (champagne houses). Over 3.5 million bottles of Louis Roederer champagne are shipped each year to more than 100 countries.


History

Initially founded as Dubois Père & Fils in 1776, Louis Roederer inherited the company from his uncle in 1833, renamed it eponymously, and set out to target markets abroad. With concentrated efforts in several countries, including Russia.
Tsar Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...
nominated Louis Roederer as the official wine supplier to the Imperial Court of Russia. Though the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...
and U.S. Prohibition caused financial difficulties during the early 20th century, Roederer was re-established as a leading ''Grandes Marques'' producer and remains in descendants Rouzaud ownership. Cristal is a precursor ''prestige cuvée'' brand and was made commercially available in 1945.Stevenson, Tom, ''Decanter'' (December 2007). "The Best a Man Can Get...." Former officers and generals of the Russian Imperial Army in exile, in Paris, continued to drink this champagne.


Family company

Louis Roederer remains one of the few family-owned independent companies run by real wine specialists. The stock ration in Louis Roederer's cellars represents between four and five years' sales.


Production

From a
vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyard ...
area of , Louis Roederer produces two thirds of the grapes needed for its production, sourcing the remaining required fruit from established farming contacts. The vintage ''cuvées'' include the Vintage, Rosé Vintage, with Pinot noir and Chardonnay in an approximately 7:3 proportion, and the 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs. The ''prestige cuvée'' Cristal, is a blend of around 40% Chardonnay and 60% Pinot noir. This prestige cuvée is also available as a rosé, which contains around 55% Pinot noir and 45% Chardonnay. Both Rosé Vintage and Cristal Rosé wines are made using the saignée method. The total annual production of Roederer is approximately 3.5 million bottles, of which 70–80% is Louis Roederer Brut Premier.


The wines


Non-vintage


Brut Premier

Brut Premier is a non-vintage Champagne combining at least four vintage wines in a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier, the three main grape varieties allowed in the composition of
Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...
, coming from more than fifty different
crus Crus can refer to: *''Crus'', a subgenus of the fly genus '' Metopochetus'' *Crus (lower leg) *Crus, a plural of Cru (wine) *CRUs, an abbreviation of Civil Resettlement Units * Rektorenkonferenz der Schweizer Universitäten (CRUS; English: Recto ...
. The inclusion of reserve wines (approximately 20%) matured in oak casks for several years gives the complexity and roundness characteristic of Louis Roederer's champagnes. It is aged for three years in Louis Roederer's cellars and left for six months after '' dégorgement'' (disgorging). The dosage (residual sugar) is 9g/L.


Carte Blanche

The Carte Blanche Cuvée is also produced from three varieties : 40%
Pinot Noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for ''pine'' and ''black.'' The word ''pine ...
, 40%
Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new ...
, 20%
Meunier Meunier is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Christian Meunier (born 1967), French automotive businessman * Claude Meunier (born 1951), Canadian actor and film director * Claude Marie Meunier (1770–1846), French general dur ...
. The main difference between Brut Premier and Carte Blanche is the dosage. Carte Blanche is a Demi Sec style. Five per cent of Carte Blanche comes from wine matured in oak tuns. It is aged for three years in Louis Roederer's cellars and left for six months after ''dégorgement'' (disgorging).


Vintages

In Champagne, a vintage Champagne (Champagne Millésimé in French) is a
champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...
composed entirely of wines of the same year. The specificity of Louis Roederer's vintage wines is that they are exclusively elaborated from Louis Roederer's vineyards.


Vintage

Brut Vintage is composed of 70% Pinot Noir from the
Montagne de Reims Montagne de Reims is one of the five sub-regions of the Champagne wine region. It is north of Vallée de la Marne, Côte de Sézanne and Côte des Blancs. The region is located around Reims Mountain, from Reims to Épernay, and contains nine Gr ...
and 30% Chardonnay, 30% of which is wine matured in oak barrels without
malolactic fermentation Malolactic conversion (also known as malolactic fermentation or MLF) is a process in winemaking in which tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid. Malolactic fermentation is most often ...
. It is aged, on average, for four years in Louis Roederer’s cellars and left for six months after ''dégorgement'' (disgorging) to attain perfect maturity.


Rosé Vintage

Produced using the ''saignée'' (skin contact) process after cold maceration, the Rosé Vintage is a blend of around 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, the percentage (20%) of wine matured in oak barrels without malolactic fermentation being smaller. The Rosé Vintage ''cuvée'' is aged for four years in Roederer's cellars and left for six months after ''dégorgement'' (disgorging) to attain perfect maturity. This Chardonnay comes mostly from Cumières, on the bank of the River Marne.


Blanc de Blancs Vintage

Blanc de Blancs Vintage is composed of 100% Chardonnay and essentially produced in the heart of the
Côte des Blancs The Côte des Blancs is an area of Champagne vineyards. Located in the department of Marne, it lies south of Epernay, stretches for about 20 km, and had a vineyard area of in 2006. The ''Côte des Blancs'' is a mostly eastern-facing slope ...
, in the kingdom of two exceptional Grands Crus:
Cramant Cramant () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. Champagne The village's vineyards are located in the Côte des Blancs subregion of Champagne, and are classified as Grand Cru (100%) in the Champagne vineyard classificati ...
and
Avize Avize () is a commune in the Marne department in northeastern France. Champagne The village's vineyards are located in the Côte des Blancs subregion of Champagne, and are classified as Grand Cru (100%) in the Champagne vineyard classificati ...
. The Chardonnay from these vineyards has great subtlety. It is aged for five years and then six more months after disgorging ( dégorgement) to attain his perfect maturity.


Cuvée de Prestige


Cristal

The first Cuvée de Prestige ( Prestige Cuvée) of
Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...
was created in 1876 by Louis Roederer to satisfy the demanding tastes of
Tsar Alexander II Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Fin ...
and is called Cristal, referring to the aspect of the bottle. In 1876, Tsar Alexander II pointed out to his sommelier that the design of a standard champagne bottle made the beautiful color and effervescence invisible to the eye. He therefore requested of Roederer that his personal cuvée be served in bottles made of transparent crystal glass with a flat bottom (to foil the insertion of explosives in the indentation by would-be assassins), to remedy this defect. Thus was Cristal born, and the first notion of a premium cuvée. For more than a century, the appearance of the patented Cristal bottle has remained unchanged. After the fall of the Russian monarchy in 1917, the House of Louis Roederer decided to continue producing Cristal and to market it internationally. The result was a great success. Today, the limited production of Cristal is far from able to satisfy the increasing worldwide demand. Cristal is produced uniquely during the best years, when the Chardonnay (40%) and Pinot Noir (60%) grapes have attained optimum maturity. Cristal is aged for six years in Louis Roederer's cellars and left for a further eight months after disgorging (''dégorgement'').


Cristal Rosé

In 1974 – almost 200 years after the establishment of the Champagne House of Louis Roederer and 100 years after the creation of Cristal – Jean-Claude Rouzaud decided to create the Cristal Rosé Cuvée. To achieve this, he selected old-vine
Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for ''pine'' and ''black.'' The word ''pine ...
grapes from the finest Grand Cru vineyards at Aÿ, which are now cultivated according to biodynamic principles. The
calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...
soil, which gives the grapes an exquisite minerality, enables the vines (in the best years) to attain exceptional fruit maturity complemented by a crystalline acidity. Cristal Rosé is created almost with the same proportions as the Cristal: a blend of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, comprising 20% of wine matured in oak barrels. The Rosé aspect of Cristal Rosé is produced using the '' saignée'' (skin contact) process after cold maceration. The Cristal Rosé cuvée is aged, on average, for six years in Louis Roederer's cellars and left for a minimum of eight months after disgorging (dégorgement).


Acquisitions

The Roederer portfolio also holds
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectu ...
estates
Château de Pez Château de Pez is a vineyard located across the road from Château Calon-Ségur, in the northern parts of Saint Estèphe. Traditionally one of the leading ''Bourgeois Supérieur'' wines of the Médoc, it is believed by some to deserve higher clas ...
and Château Haut-Beausejour in Saint Estèphe. In late 2006, the Rouzaud family acquired majority share in the
second-growth A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...
estate
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (commonly referred to as Pichon Lalande or Pichon Comtesse) is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is also the na ...
. The deal also included the '' Cru Bourgeois'' estate Château Bernadotte. Also included in the Roederer Group are Champagne Deutz, Ramos Pinto Port in
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
, Domaines Ott in
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
,
Roederer Estate Roederer Estate is a California winery founded in 1982 by Jean-Claude Rouzaud, then president of its parent company, Champagne Louis Roederer. It produces estate-bottled sparkling wines from Mendocino County's cool, fog-shrouded Anderson Valle ...
and Scharffenberger in
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.


Vineyards

The 240 hectares of Louis Roederer's vineyards are distributed across the three main Champagne growing zones, the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne, and the Côte des Blancs. Louis Roederer's vineyards cover two thirds of the company's needs, which is rare for a Champagne House. This situation gives Louis Roederer greater control over its production. Seventy five hectares are cultivated according to biodynamic principles, which makes it the largest biodynamic estate in the Champagne region. In 2021, Louis Roederer was awarded with Robert Parker Green Emblem. The Robert Parker Green Emblem is given in recognition of the most extraordinary cases of sustainable efforts in the wine industry. This distinction is awarded to wineries that have achieved outstanding commitment to sustainable viticulture after a thorough audit by the experts at Robert Parker Wine Advocate. It distinguishes producers that are committed to the long-term protection of the environment and biodiversity. 115 hectares of its historic vineyards have now become eligible for organic growing certification – the grapes of the 2021 harvest issued from these plots will have official “AB” organic certification (the organic certification symbol in France).


Winemaking

Every year, about 600 people are employed to pick the grapes in the Louis Roederer vineyards. The vintage lasts for ten to fifteen days. Tractors transport the grapes in 50 kg baskets from the vineyards to Louis Roederer's own press-houses in the heart of the vineyards. The musts obtained from the pressing are then transported to Louis Roederer's cellars in Reims. Upon arrival in Reims the musts are delivered either into small stainless steel tanks or into oak vats, no bigger than the equivalent of one to two hectares of vineyards, and there they begin their fermentation. The characteristics and qualities of each plot are thus preserved right up to the blending stage. In winter, each wine is tasted by the Cellar Master and his team of oenologists prior to blending and bottling in the spring.


Reserve wines

Champagne is a blend of wines from different locations. Thanks to its vineyards, Louis Roederer has a vast palette of the finest wines from which to create its ''cuvées''. Not all of these wines are used immediately. Some are set aside to age in large oak casks in the reserve wine cellar; later they will either be included in blends of Louis Roederer's Brut Premier champagne to ensure quality, or be used for the dosage in the ''liqueur d'expédition''. The reserve wines destined for the ''liqueur d'expédition'' are selected from the best wines from each vintage. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines from eight to ten different crus are blended together and matured in oak vats for up to ten years. The reserve wine cellar contains several thousand liters of reserve wines.


See also

*
List of Champagne houses The listing below comprises some of the more prominent houses of Champagne. Most of the major houses are members of the organisation ''Union de Maisons de Champagne'' (UMC),Veblen goods


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roederer, Louis 1776 establishments in France British Royal Warrant holders Champagne producers French brands Purveyors to the Imperial and Royal Court French companies established in 1776 Food and drink companies established in 1764