Louis Roederer house spotlight
James Suckling films Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon on Louis Roederer's house style: estate fruit, parcel ferments, oak vats. This 2016 Vintage is that Reims house in a Pinot-led year from Verzy.
2016 'Vintage' Louis Roederer Champagne, France
Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon's Verzy Pinot Vintage, James Suckling 96, a 2016 you can open at seventy-nine dollars.
The 2016 Vintage is 68 percent Pinot Noir from Verzy and 32 percent Chardonnay from Chouilly: Burlat cherry, candied citrus, hazelnut, chalk, and a saline close after one-third in oak and 7 grams dosage, now $79.
Verzy Pinot from the first vines Louis Roederer bought, not a party cuvee from everywhere
Vintage is Roederer's snapshot of La Montagne. The 2016 is 68 percent Pinot Noir from Verzy and 32 percent Chardonnay from Chouilly, 33 percent fermented in oak, 5 percent malolactic, 7 grams dosage, disgorged June 2024. James Suckling 96: restrained strawberry, lemon zest, macerated flowers, shortbread, pinprick mousse, amazing length. Jeb Dunnuck 95. Wine Enthusiast 95. Wine Spectator 94, drink through 2040. This is the bottle that puts Lecaillon's Verzy Pinot on a roast-chicken table at seventy-nine dollars.
The house
Louis Roederer has been family-owned in Reims since 1776. Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon is chef de caves. Most fruit is estate.
The wine
68% Pinot Noir, 32% Chardonnay. 33% oak, 5% malolactic, 7 g/L dosage. 12.5% ABV.
The scores
James Suckling 96. Jeb Dunnuck 95. Wine Enthusiast 95. Wine Spectator 94. Vinous 93.
The drinker
Cherry and chalk first. Serve 46 to 50 F. No long decant. Roast chicken or seared scallops.
Cherry and citrus, then hazelnut, chalk, and salt
The house note is Burlat cherry, redcurrant jam foam, candied roasted citrus, and dried hazelnuts, then warm chalk. Suckling found strawberry, lemon zest, flowers, and shortbread. Spectator found crushed black raspberry, tangerine peel, chalk, Marcona almond, ginger, and blood orange zest on a satiny mousse.
A wet spring, then a dry hot summer, harvest 15 September to 1 October. Lecaillon calls it a tribute to Verzy Pinot from the first vines the house bought in the mid-19th century. Drink now through 2040.
Burlat cherry, redcurrant, strawberry, candied citrus, pear, hazelnut, shortbread.
Full yet airy, 12.5% ABV, 33% oak, 7 g/L dosage, pinprick mousse.
Chalk, saline, ginger, blood orange. Serve 46 to 50 F. No decant.
Parcel ferments, a third in oak, then four years on lees
Lecaillon ferments parcels separately, a third in oak vats, almost no malolactic. The 2016 Vintage spent years on lees and six months after disgorgement. Dosage is 7 grams. The point is Verzy Pinot texture with Chouilly salt, not a sweet party sparkle.
La Montagne estate, Grand Cru Verzy and Chouilly. 12.5% alcohol. Disgorged June 2024.
Serve 46 to 50 F in a white-wine stem. Roast chicken or scallops.
A family house that still owns the vines
Louis Roederer remains independent in Reims. Vintage is the estate wine of La Montagne, not a bought-in blend.
The house was founded in 1776 and named by Louis Roederer in 1833. Frederic Rouzaud still runs it as a family maison.
The first Verzy vines were bought in the mid-19th century. Lecaillon has been steering Vintage toward that Pinot since 2013.
The 2016 is that idea after a dry summer: cherry, chalk, salt, and a 96-point close.
Roast chicken, then a scallop
Pinot-led Vintage wants rich poultry and a sweet-brine plate. Lemon-thyme chicken and beurre blanc scallops both fit cherry and chalk.
Two plates. One lemon-thyme roast chicken. One seared scallop with beurre blanc. Both can take 2016 Vintage mousse and salt.
Serve 46 to 50 F. No decant. A white-wine stem, not a thin flute.
Roast Chicken with Lemon and Thyme
Herb-roasted chicken gives the wine enough richness while lemon and thyme stay in the same key.
Why it works: Lemon and thyme echo citrus and floral notes. Acidity refreshes after each rich bite.
View Recipe for Roast Chicken with Lemon and Thyme (opens in a new tab)
Seared Scallops with Beurre Blanc
Sweet scallop, brown butter, and a sharp sauce. Vintage Champagne's coastal landing.
Why it works: Mousse and acidity cut the butter. Chalk and citrus echo the sauce.
View Recipe for seared scallops with beurre blanc (opens in a new tab)Put this Roederer Vintage in the cart
Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, Verzy Pinot, James Suckling 96. Seventy-nine dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is the Roederer bottle for a table that wants Vintage, not a generic Brut slogan.
