Louis Roederer et Philippe Starck Brut Nature 2015
(Champagne, France) - [JD 95] [JS 95] [WE 94] [WA 94] [WS 93] [VM 93]

About the winery:
Louis Roederer has been synonymous with the world's great Champagnes since 1776, and it is one of the rare family owned companies, which is still managed by the Roederer family today. They are also one of the only French champagne producers to own nearly 75 percent of the grapes in the most desirable vineyards in the Champagne. The property is located on 450 acres in the finest villages of Montagne de Reims, Côtes des Blancs, and Valleé de la Marne. Each region is selected to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with the elegance needed for perfectly balanced champagne. The Louis Roederer vineyards rate an average 98 percent based on France’s statutory 100-point classification scale.

Notes From The Winemaker:

Vintage: An extraordinary vintage which is also the year in which the Champagne region was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site! 2015 followed the continental trend 
of that decade: a mild, wet winter and a hot, dry summer. The summer, hot and sunny, brought record-breaking temperatures and water stress. The second half of August brought some very welcome rain, giving the vines some much needed relief. Thanks to this fresh finish, the vines produced juicy, ripe and concentrated grapes. Our ambition for this vintage? To capture the concentration which is the hallmark of this spectacular vintage.

Tasting Notes:

Yellow hue with shimmering highlights and an even flow of lively bubbles. The bouquet is pure, elegant, vertical, rich and concentrated. Nuances of ripe fruit combined with 
exceptional finesse: fine, delicate citrus peel (lemon, orange) and vanilla (Madagascar bourbon vanilla) along with warmer notes of baked apple and Tarte Tatin that 
gradually give way to aromas of nougat. The palate offers a marked and singular contrast: it is very expressionist thanks to the broad, juicy, almost sensual texture of the Cumières clay soils in a sunny year, yet distinctly minimalist due to a fresh, pure, mineral and mouthwatering backbone associated with its zero dosage. Ripe citrus fruit combines with warm stone notes further accentuating the mouthwatering, umami sensation. The 
finish is light, energetic and ethereal.

ORIGIN: “La Rivière” vineyards
CRU: Cumières
GRAPE VARIETIES: 
Field blend:
46% Chardonnay
37% Pinot noir
17% Meunier
WINE IN OAK: 23%
MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION: 0%
DOSAGE: 0g/ l

95 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
“The 2015 Champagne Starck Brut Nature is forward with vinous and spicy aromas of saline and red currant, orange blossom, and smoke. It is expansive on the palate while maintaining a core of fresh acidity, with peach, dried flowers, and wet stone. This complex and unique expression is full of energy and has great gastronomic appeal. Drink 2022-2040.” - Audrey Frick (Nov 2022)

95 Points - James Suckling:
“This is very minerally and stony, with chalk and salt and oyster-shell undertones. It’s full-bodied and layered, yet remains intense with a lively finish. Done dry. Umami. No dosage. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Field blend from a single plot in Cumieres. Better in a few years. Drink or hold.” (Jun 2022)

94 Points - Wine Advocate:
“The most compelling rendition of this bottling that Roederer has produced to date, the 2015 Brut Nature exhibits inviting aromas of golden orchard fruit, clear honey, dried white flowers and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, layered and vinous, with a fleshy, concentrated core of fruit, chalky structure and a long, precise finish, it's a Pinot Noir-dominant blend from Cumières that's slightly lower in pressure, making for a more delicate mousse.” - William Kelley (Aug 2022)

94 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
“With a label designed by designer Philippe Starck, this Champagne has benefitted from its aging. That has softened the wine’s natural dryness and given it maturity and a light biscuit flavor. It is a fully balanced wine that is ready to drink.” - Roger Voss (Dec 2023)

93+ Points - View from the Cellar:
“As readers know, I seldom drink Brut Nature bottlings when they are first released, as I prefer to let them soften up their acids with some bottle age. However, the 2015 Philippe Starck bottling from Maison Louis Roederer was the exception, as I thoroughly enjoyed drinking this bottle in its relative youth. The wine is composed in 2015 from a blend of forty-six percent chardonnay, thirty-seven percent pinot noir and seventeen percent pinot meunier, with just under a quarter of the vins clairs barrel-fermented in this vintage. This is a non-malo wine and offers up a superb bouquet of apple, white peach, fresh-baked bread, a lovely base of soil, dried flowers and a nice touch of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is bright, deep and full-bodied, with a lovely core, excellent mineral drive and grip, refined mousse, well-buffered acids and a long, complex and quite stylish finish. Fine, fine juice. 2023-2050+.” - John Gilman (Feb 2023)

93 Points - Vinous Media:
“The 2015 Brut Nature Blanc is rich and expansive, especially for a non-dosé Champagne. All the elements are so nicely balanced. Pear, mint, green apple, ginger and a hint of nutmeg from a dazzling tapestry of aromas, flavors and nuance. As with the Rosé, the Blanc offers a compelling balance of fruit intensity and energy, while avoiding the harsher tones that often afflict Brut Nature Champagnes.” - Antonio Galloni (Nov 2022)

93 Points - Wine Spectator:
“A fresh, mineral-driven Champagne, this swathes a firm frame of acidity in a raw silklike texture and finely meshed flavors of crunchy pear, mandarin orange peel, salted almond, dried raspberry and pickled ginger. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Best from 2023 through 2033.” - Alison Napjus