Jason F.
Yelp
There's something that's both timeless and elegant when sipping on the remarkable sparkling wines produced at Roederer Estate. Located in the rustic city of Philo in the Anderson Valley along Highway 128 in Mendocino County, California, Roederer Estate was founded forty years ago by Jean-Claude Rouzaud, who has since passed along winemaking duties to that of his son Frédéric. The Rouzaud family recognized the importance of growing their vines on their own estate as the key to making the highest quality wines. By tapping into their French heritage and wine cultivating techniques, Roederer Estate has established itself as the go-to destination for some of the best sparkling wine that the state has to offer. What brought a friend and I on a recent road trip to the Anderson Valley from the greater Bay Area was the fact that we wanted to partake in their Sparkling Wine Tasting, which for forty-five dollars, we had the opportunity to sip on five of their Brut Sparkling Wines, all while paired with the expertly crafted dishes from their food menu. A reasonably priced tasting mixed with handcrafted dishes that are expertly paired with sparkling wines, all while overlooking their spectacular vineyards in Anderson Valley had us sold for a wonderful afternoon of sipping and noshing.
Sitting indoors made for the most ideal afternoon as the weather outside was rather damp on the day we chose to enjoy our tasting. Upon being sat at one of their tables in their tasting room, our tasting room associate Elaine treated us to two pours of their Brut Multi Vintage, one from a traditional bottle and one from a magnum bottle. Both wines were crisp and elegant, by taking these sips we could taste the difference in the amount of years in which each wines' grapes are harvested and aged. For our third pour, we enjoyed their Brut Rosé which had more Pinot Noir in its blend than their multi vintage brut wines. For our fourth pour, we enjoyed their 2017 L'Ermitage, which had an aroma of green apples, pears and hazelnut on the nose, and we learned it had a longer aging process, which helped to change the complexity of the wine. We even were able to enjoy an extra pour of their 2004 L'Ermitage, which had a lower amount of fizz thanks to the brighter acidity being toned down thanks to the extra aging on the yeast during the wine making process. For our sixth and final pour, we enjoyed their Extra Dry which was actually an extra sweet wine, as it would have made for a solid dessert wine, as it was the same blend as the first two glasses of Brut Multi Vintage with a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
What makes Roederer Estate stand out from the rest is that they promote a food pairing menu which features a great amount of food that pairs so well with all of their wines. We went to town as we enjoyed their Eggs Mimosa which were deviled eggs topped with gold pearl trout rose, citrus and garden herbs; their Meat & Potatoes, which were slices of prosciutto served with a generous portion of olive oil potato chips; and their Cheese Board which featured Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam and Matos St. Jorge cheeses, sea salted crackers, fig cake and olives. To top off our meal we enjoyed their Tsar Nicoulai caviar, as their Gold Pearl Trout Roe was served on a bed of ice and served with potato chips, crème fraîche and chives. It was the perfect way to spend an afternoon with sparkling wine and an abundance of high caliber dishes, and it was affordable to boot, as it cost us 80 dollars a person, which was rather reasonable. Where else in Northern California can you get a flight of sparkling wines paired with caviar, potato chips and deviled eggs? Not many as far as I am concerned, and when the wines are lovingly crafted and crisp as they are served at Roederer Estate, then it is an experience worth partaking in.