WTN: 1999 Roederer Estate L'Ermitage Brut

[David M. Bueker]

Bright, precise, fruity, toasty & only $30 for a wine that consistently ranks as the best N. American sparkler in my book. The wife thought it was delicious too.

I greatly enjoyed my last visit to Philo. The Roederer folks are unlike any I've run into elsewhere in the U.S.: They say that while they will always be in Reims, their future is in the Anderson Valley, and that they are thinking about what they'll be able to produce 10 to 20 years from now. (It's been, what, 35 years since they acquired Deutz?)

[David M. Bueker]

I've been drinking the L'Ermitage back to the 1992 vintage, and it's always been impressive. I need to visit and understand a little more about the area & how they handle growing grapes in California that make such a precise sparkling wine.