2018 Louis Roederer Brut Vintage (gift box)

Full bottle 1,602 g. Early harvest from 27 August to 8 September. The main component, 80% of the blend, is Pinot Noir from Verzy, supplemented by 20% Chardonnay from Chouilly. 28% of the base wine saw oak, 20% of it went through malo. The 2018 is described as ‘the end of an era’ because the Pinot Noir on north-facing vines in Verzy now achieves such phenolic ripeness that it is possible to make a wine entirely from these grapes. The 2019 vintage is a Blanc de Noirs, something Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon has wanted to do for many years. ‘La Montagne’ is cited on the back label, a reference to the fact that all the grapes came from their vineyards on the Montagne de Reims (as opposed to ‘La Cote’ for the Cote des Blancs vineyards and ‘La Riviere’ for their vineyards in the Vallee de la Marne). Dosage 7 g/l.

Extremely intense nose with an explosion of life. Light smokiness and creme patissiere. By no means bone dry, in fact the fruit is positively exuberant. Like a rich lemon mousse. I like it! 17.5 points