Louis Roederer
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.
Tsar Nicholas II nominated Louis Roederer as the official wine supplier to the Imperial Court of Russia.
[1] Though the Russian Revolution 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.
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.
Brut Vintage is composed of 70% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and 30% Chardonnay, 30% of which is wine matured in oak barrels without malolactic fermentation.
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.
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.
[7] 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),[citation needed] to remedy this defect.
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).
[10] In late 2006, the Rouzaud family acquired majority share in the second-growth estate Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande.
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.
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.
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.
