Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Nature Philippe Starck Label (2015)

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.

Blend: 46% Chardonnay, 37% Pinot Noir, 17% Pinot Meunier

Reviews

95 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.

95 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. Best after 2022.

94 Robert Parker's 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.

93 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.

93 Wine & Spirits
Roederer’s collaboration with Philippe Starck focuses on a south-facing hillside in Cumières, where Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon grows parcels of chardonnay (46 percent of this blend), pinot noir (37 percent) and meunier (17 percent). He only makes the wine in vintages when all three varieties ripen at the same time, so he can harvest and ferment them together. In 2015, the wine has a saffron-yellow depth of flavor, its youthful tension expressed in notes of grapefruit pith, underripe peach and yellow apple.