Louis Roederer Brut Premier

BN#120140

Louis Roederer

Brut Premier is the incarnation of the Louis Roederer style, and combines the fruitiness and freshness of youth with the vinosity of fully mature wines. It is a structured and fully bloomed wine, with a lively attack and a smooth palate. Blending: 56% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay, and 10% Pinot Meunier, including 10% of reserve wines from three former harvests and aged in oak vats for two to six years. Maturation: An average of three years of ageing on the lees, and another six months after disgorging. Dosage: 12g/L of sugar resulting from the liqueur. Tasting Notes: It is a gilded color, with fine bubbles and a nose of fresh fruit and hawthorn. A smooth and complex palate, with mingling fruit flavors of pear and apple, and red fruits of blackberry, raspberry and cherry, with notes of toast and almonds. A pleasurable wine, smooth and open. Food pairing: Brut Premier is an excellent aperitif Champagne that readily accompanies light fish dishes.

Wine Enthusiast

A classic nonvintage Champagne, Brut Premier is also a yardstick by which others are measured. In the case of this bottle, that yardstick is working well: the palate is rich and creamy, there is maturity along with great fruit and elegance. Best as an apéritif wine, this could also go with light foods.

Score: 91. —Roger Voss, December 01, 2005.

Wine Spectator

Light and lively, featuring apple, toast, ginger and light vanilla flavors. Balanced and on the dry side, with a creamy texture and a lingering butter pastry aftertaste. Drink now through 2011.

Score: 91. —Bruce Sanderson, November 30, 2009.

Wine Advocate

The NV Brut Premier is a gorgeous Champagne at this level. Fresh, perfumed, zesty fruit emerges from this accessible, medium-bodied Champagne. The Brut Premier reveals an irresistible, immediate personality, with terrific balance. It is without question one of the finest NV Champagnes readers are likely to come across as well as one of the best relative values in the region. The Brut Premier is 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier. The Meunier and 10-30% reserve wines along with fruit sourced from mostly south-facing vineyards (40-45% purchased fruit) are all used to create a fairly round, accessible Champagne that can be enjoyed upon release.

Score: 89. —Robert Parker, December 2009.