One Of My Top Three Non-Vintages - Louis Roederer Premier Brut

A non-vintage brut champagne is a classic style of champagne that most of us drink when we think of picking up a bottle on Friday night or when we’re going over to someone’s house for dinner. The biggest appeal is that it’s easy to drink and gives us that classic champagne taste of the blended three grape varieties: pinot noir, pinor meunier and chardonnay.

Where some non-vintage champagnes let me down is in the fact they’re still very young and so have sharp, citric (lemon/lime) or strong green apple flavours; to me they need a little more time to develop that classic champagne taste (non-vintages only have to be aged for 15 months, according to the Appellation d’OrigineContrôlée (AOC) – the regulatory authority for champagne, although some champagne houses age them longer). These young, fun and lively champagnes should be taken (and enjoyed) as they are; mostly as an aperitif on a lazy Sunday afternoon with cheese, over a barbeque with friends or on a Friday night sitting on the couch watching TV.  

For these reasons over the years I’ve tended toward Piper Heidsieck Cuvee Brut (non-vintage) when I want a decent classic champagne that’s reasonably priced. In fact,  I like it so much that I've used it as a benchmark to measure other non-vintage brut champagnes. Aged for 24 months and with lower that average amounts of added sugar (dosage), it offers a little more complexity, some toastiness, a rounded, long-lasting finish and - best of all - that slightly more developed classic champagne taste.

But last night, Louis Roederer Premier Brut became my new benchmark. It's nothing short of extraordinary for a non-vintage brut. For me, its main attraction is that it's not only a very fine and delicious champagne, it's ready to drink now. It's been aged for three years on lees and then six months after disgorging, and includes more than six percent reserve wine aged in oak barrels for two to six years.

Founded in 1776, Louis Roederer is one of the great, still family-owned champagne houses in France. Located in the 'champagne capital' of Reims, it owns more than 75% of its own vineyards (allowing it to retain control over the quality of its grapes) with more than 40% of these vines located in the Cote des Blancs (the best 'terroir' or combination of climate and soil for chardonnay grapes). The house maintains a large inventory of reserve wines in large oak casks which allows them to ensure consistency and high quality across their range, year-to-year.

Here are my observations.

A little about style - Louis Roederer is known for being full-bodied, rich, powerful, round and fruity. Its Premier Non-Vintage Brut sets the style of the house.

Blend - 40% pinot noir, 40% chardonnay and 20% pinot meunier. With pinot noir and chardonnay dominating, it's easy to see where it gets its structure, complexity and elegance from. The quality of grapes used, plus the addition of reserve wine and its extended ageing time makes it very good to drink now. This wine has also undergone malolactic fermentation which is responsible for producing the lovely creamy, rounded flavours.

Glass – Bursting with effervescence, thousands of tiny bubbles streamed to the surface. It was medium lemon in colour.

Nose – When cold (straight from the fridge), I could detect a hint of pepper. As I allowed the glass to warm slightly, aromas of lemon citrus, toasted nuts and yeast were released.

Palate – A very good mousse as I sipped. I could taste baked green apples but then softness. The flavour glided from the middle to the back of the palate, releasing a creamy flavour and leaving a silky, mouth-coating texture. The flavour was full, rich, fruity and rounded yet elegant and soft and resulted in a long-lasting finish. I also detected a slight vanilla-oak undercurrent. 

Verdict - 92 /100. At around $60-$70, it's a good $20 - $30 more expensive than what I would normally pay for a non-vintage brut on the go - but it's worth every dollar.

Further reading - For a good overview of the house's historical and current significance, read Ed McCarthy's review. For tasting notes, see Wine Star. Click here for the great house itself.

Where to buy - Try Wine Star.