2002 Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs

The 2002 Brut Blanc de Blancs emerges from the glass with attractive notes of smokiness, ripe pears, flowers and spices. The wine shows excellent depth in a rich, generous style, with suggestions of minerality, toastiness and chalk that round out the finish. In 2002, the Blanc de Blanc is equal parts Mesnil sur Oger and Avize with a dollop of Cramant used to give the wine an additional measure of acidity. This is Lot: L030993D 100017, disgorged February 7th, 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2017. Roederer is one of the most impressive estates in Champagne. Few houses have managed to reconcile this level production in a negociant operation while achieving such a consistently outstanding level of quality across the entire range. Roederer owns 214 hectares of vineyards, which is enough to meet 65-70% of the house’s needs. The vintage wines are made from 100% estate-grown fruit, while the NV wines are made with the addition of roughly 45% purchased fruit. Generally speaking, malolactic fermentation and oak aging are used to a higher degree for the NV range than for the vintage wines. Dosage varies as well, and ranges from 11-12 grams for the entry-level wines to 9-10 for the tete de cuvee Cristal. Unfortunately because if its rabid following the vast majority of Cristal is drunk upon release, which is ironic, if not downright tragic, considering Cristal is a wine that starts peaking around age 15-20, and that can last much longer under ideal storage conditions. With Cristal, Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon aims to make an ageworthy Champagne that is fresh and floral when young, but that is also capable of considerable development with bottle age, qualities the finest Cristals have in spades. In the best vintages one tank of Cristal Rose is also made that features the exquisite Pinot Noir of Ay. Unfortunately Roederer does not provide disgorgement dates for its wines, but the bottles have codes that can be traced back to dates at the winery. It would be great to see this venerable property add a simple disgorgement date, at least for their top wines, considering the significant financial investment required to purchase them. Importer: Maison Marques & Domaines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000

(L030993D100015) Light, bright yellow with a frothy mousse. Fresh orange, apple, yellow plum and yeast on the nose. Talc and quinine add vivacity to fleshy orchard and pit fruit flavors, and a refreshingly bitter lime zest note lends bite. Gains weight and flesh on the finish, which is subtly nutty and persistent. At once seamless and sharply defined.