Another beautiful bottle. Tons of red apple and a fair amount of grilled lemon in this wine followed by a hint of salinity, all backed by great acidity. Nothing creamy, mushy or soft going on here. I don't want a steady diet of older sparkling wine (I think 27 yrs qualifies as old for CA bubbly), but I do love and appreciate them.
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Beautiful mousse which lingers for 30 sec, then disappears. Crisp orchard fruit and great acidity. Further convinces me that Roederer Estate is the pinnacle of New World sparkling wine. No hurry to drink properly curated bottles of these wines. A 93-pt wine with extra marks for unheralded longevity.
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The L'Ermitage Brut 1996 from Roederer Estate in Anderson Valley, tasted from a magnum, is a beautifully aged sparkling wine that showcases the potential of California when it comes to producing champagne-style wines. Despite its 27-year age, it still boasts an impressive level of freshness and effervescence.
The bouquet is complex and enticing, with notes of brioche, toffee, apricots, and a hint of minerality. On the palate, the wine is still crisp and well balanced, with a good acidity that complements its creamy texture.
This wine truly shows the aging potential of sparkling wines from California and is a testament to the skill of Roederer Estate. It is a must-try for anyone who appreciates gracefully aged sparkling wines.
GT Fish & Oyster - Magnum Night (Chicago, IL): Round, sweet fruit in the mouth. Good counter balancing acidity. Still fresh and lively. Definitely new world profile in comparison to the 5 Champagnes in the line up.
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Cafe Mangal Cab Tasting. Really very good. Mousse well-preserved, Roederer style with good acidity but some creaminess, excellent cut, still young. Persistent.
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Vecchia Roma with B&R. This bottle seems fully mature, quite lovely, full and complex in the Roederer style. Still enough mousse. better than most Champagnes. Only quibble is that finish could be a little longer.
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Drank at Schwa restaurant as a starter champagne out of magnum. Good nose, hint of pinot with the chardonnay base. We kept drinking this through the first couple of courses and it was outstanidng.
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Fully mature (frankly, pushing the boundary of maturity towards oxidation) with complex flavors of dried flowers, yellow apple, and grapefruit. Citrusy and nicely balanced on the palate this has great length and texture.
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Eastman NYE. Too closed for that time of the festivities, as it was bedtime rather than time to watch the wine evolve. This is a big structured, toasty sparkler in the L'Ermitage style, though it will take 3 years or more to see if it matches the beauties of 1991 and 1992.
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Probably one of the top 3 or 4 U.S. produced sparkling wines. This has a fairly strong acidity streak, which means that I should have picked a more smoothed out '93 instead of a '96. Also, it was served too warm. Nevertheless, once properly chilled, flavors of toasty sourdough bread, lemon zest, and ripe green apples shown through. I enjoyed this with the salmon covered crisp appetizers.
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Another favorite of the event. Green apple, creamy vanilla and lemon, touches of oak, good overall balance and depth. 1996 is the best vintage after 1990.
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2/15/2024 - Bchawla wrote:
Mix drink
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12/24/2023 - Michigan Mostberg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Another beautiful bottle. Tons of red apple and a fair amount of grilled lemon in this wine followed by a hint of salinity, all backed by great acidity. Nothing creamy, mushy or soft going on here. I don't want a steady diet of older sparkling wine (I think 27 yrs qualifies as old for CA bubbly), but I do love and appreciate them.
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7/21/2023 - Michigan Mostberg Likes this wine: 93 Points
As tasted 5 months ago. A truly superb effort from California's premier sparkling wine producer.
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2/17/2023 - Michigan Mostberg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful mousse which lingers for 30 sec, then disappears. Crisp orchard fruit and great acidity. Further convinces me that Roederer Estate is the pinnacle of New World sparkling wine. No hurry to drink properly curated bottles of these wines. A 93-pt wine with extra marks for unheralded longevity.
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1/28/2023 - Klugi Wine wrote: 94 Points
The L'Ermitage Brut 1996 from Roederer Estate in Anderson Valley, tasted from a magnum, is a beautifully aged sparkling wine that showcases the potential of California when it comes to producing champagne-style wines. Despite its 27-year age, it still boasts an impressive level of freshness and effervescence.
The bouquet is complex and enticing, with notes of brioche, toffee, apricots, and a hint of minerality. On the palate, the wine is still crisp and well balanced, with a good acidity that complements its creamy texture.
This wine truly shows the aging potential of sparkling wines from California and is a testament to the skill of Roederer Estate. It is a must-try for anyone who appreciates gracefully aged sparkling wines.
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10/24/2013 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 92 Points
Serve with 7 other champagnes and this was a favorite. Good nose and wonderfully youthful on the palate
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10/24/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Magnum (Mostly) White Dinner (GT Fish & Oyster - Chicago IL): Ripe, sweet apple. Showing fair amount of age, helped by good acidity. Drinking well now, nowhere to go but south from here.
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10/24/2013 - Nanda wrote: 90 Points
GT Fish & Oyster - Magnum Night (Chicago, IL): Round, sweet fruit in the mouth. Good counter balancing acidity. Still fresh and lively. Definitely new world profile in comparison to the 5 Champagnes in the line up.
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6/30/2013 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 92 Points
En magnum. Vibrant, amber color, strong nose, lasting on the palate and lasted over two hours.
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3/20/2013 - cweiss Likes this wine:
Cafe Mangal Cab Tasting. Really very good. Mousse well-preserved, Roederer style with good acidity but some creaminess, excellent cut, still young. Persistent.
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11/26/2011 - cweiss wrote:
A wee bit musty but still drinkable and enjoyable. Mature rich leesy.
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6/16/2010 - jlgnml wrote: 92 Points
Les Degustateurs Ladies Night (Casino Club in Chicago): Fresh,delightful fruit, served out of magnum's for our ladies.
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4/10/2010 - cweiss wrote:
Vecchia Roma with B&R. This bottle seems fully mature, quite lovely, full and complex in the Roederer style. Still enough mousse. better than most Champagnes. Only quibble is that finish could be a little longer.
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3/20/2010 - jlgnml wrote: 93 Points
Drank at Schwa restaurant as a starter champagne out of magnum. Good nose, hint of pinot with the chardonnay base. We kept drinking this through the first couple of courses and it was outstanidng.
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12/28/2008 - wino_tim wrote: 90 Points
Fully mature (frankly, pushing the boundary of maturity towards oxidation) with complex flavors of dried flowers, yellow apple, and grapefruit. Citrusy and nicely balanced on the palate this has great length and texture.
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7/14/2007 - cweiss wrote:
Cruise. Still young. Try again in 2 years.
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1/1/2006 - cweiss wrote:
Eastman NYE. Too closed for that time of the festivities, as it was bedtime rather than time to watch the wine evolve. This is a big structured, toasty sparkler in the L'Ermitage style, though it will take 3 years or more to see if it matches the beauties of 1991 and 1992.
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2/1/2004 - cweiss wrote:
Good but tight, Needs time.
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12/17/2002 - R2-D2 wrote: 91 Points
Probably one of the top 3 or 4 U.S. produced sparkling wines. This has a fairly strong acidity streak, which means that I should have picked a more smoothed out '93 instead of a '96. Also, it was served too warm. Nevertheless, once properly chilled, flavors of toasty sourdough bread, lemon zest, and ripe green apples shown through. I enjoyed this with the salmon covered crisp appetizers.
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12/6/2002 - R2-D2 wrote: 92 Points
Another favorite of the event. Green apple, creamy vanilla and lemon, touches of oak, good overall balance and depth. 1996 is the best vintage after 1990.
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