A great Rosé champagne must be made from very ripe grapes – sometimes difficult to obtain in the Champagne climate. As a result, Louis Roederer invested early in vineyards of the Premier Crus Village of Cumières, known for its steeply-sloping, shallow clay and limestone soils facing south and benefitting from additional light reflected from the river Marne, enabling great phenolic maturity to be achieved. In these select terroirs, some 35 plots in Cumieres, Louis Roederer applies the precision wine-making methods required to craft a saignée rosé. The Chardonnay comes from the north facing slopes in Chouilly, bringing bright and fresh notes and a chalky texture and real saline twist.
The 2016 vintage was characterised by particularly marked weather variations in which Pinot noirs thrived in these dry, sunny conditions and the heat has given them an intensely fruity character and silky smooth texture. The Chardonnays are just as outstanding although more chiselled and saline in character.
