Roederer 2020 Apple Valley Brut

Nestled in the cool-climate grandeur of Anderson Valley, the 2020 Roederer Estate Apple Alley Brut represents a triumph of terroir-driven winemaking, a single-vineyard expression that exemplifies the meticulous craftsmanship of this esteemed house. Sourced exclusively from the historic Apple Alley Vineyard, where century-old apple trees stand as silent sentinels to the land’s past, this sparkling wine is a study in elegance, precision, and depth. A blend of 74.2% Chardonnay and 25.8% Pinot Noir, with a measured touch of reserve wine from 2017 and 2018, the wine spent 34 months on its lees, culminating in a February 2024 disgorgement that unveils a sparkling masterpiece of remarkable finesse.

From the very first impression, the bouquet captivates with a refined interplay of baked pie crust, golden apples, and delicate spice. A whisper of toasted brioche and a top note of dried white flowers lend further complexity, hinting at the richness imparted by partial fermentation in cask. The palate is a revelation—silky yet structured, with a luminous core of lemon curd and orchard fruits that dance across a taut, mineral-laden frame. A nearly full malolactic fermentation imbues the wine with a rounded, creamy texture, an intriguing departure from Roederer Estate’s typically more linear style, yet one that remains impeccably poised. At a precise 6 g/L dosage, it walks the razor’s edge of Extra Brut, delivering a beautifully sculpted balance of acidity and richness.

The mousse is fine and persistent, carrying the wine toward a long, layered finish where bright citrus, toasted hazelnut, and a saline minerality converge in perfect harmony. While undeniably captivating in its youth, this inaugural single-vineyard cuvée is built for longevity, with its firm spine of acidity and impressive structure ensuring it will evolve beautifully in bottle over the next decade and beyond. By 2027, it will begin to reach its apogee, rewarding those who exercise patience with an even greater depth of expression.

The 2020 Apple Alley Brut signals a new chapter for Roederer Estate, a bold foray into single-vineyard sparkling wine production that will undoubtedly set a new benchmark for American méthode traditionnelle wines. With its seamless integration of fruit, acid, and autolytic complexity, this wine stands as a testament to the estate’s deep understanding of its vineyards and its uncompromising dedication to quality. A future classic in the making, it is poised to take its place among the finest sparkling wines produced on American soil.

Blend: 74.2% Chardonnay & 25.8% Pinot Noir

Alcohol: 12.8%

94 POINTS - "The 2020 vintage marks the very first time Roederer Estate has ventured into producing single vineyard bottlings from its vineyard holdings in Anderson Valley. The Apple Alley Vineyard takes its name from it having been a former apple orchard, as Roederer Estate chose to keep all of the apple trees that line flank the road into the vineyard. The wine is crafted from a cépages of seventy-four percent chardonnay and twenty-six percent pinot noir, with eight percent of the vins clairs having been barrel-fermented. The wine was disgorged in February of 2024 and finished with a dosage of six grams per liter. The wine delivers a refined bouquet of apple, quince, a lovely base of soil tones, bread dough and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is crisp, focused and full-bodied, with a lovely core of fruit, excellent soil signature, frothy mousse, a firm spine of acidity and a very long, complex and impeccably balanced finish. To my palate this is still a young wine and truly deserves at least a few years in the cellar to properly blossom. It is an important new wine from Roederer Estate and certainly looks likely to soon be one of the benchmark sparkling wines produced in the US! 2027-2050+." - View From The Cellar

93 POINTS - "Precise and alluring, with elegantly layered apple, citrus, blanched almond and lemon custard flavors that finish on a refreshing steely accent." - Wine Spectator

90 POINTS - "Made to highlight some of the family-owned vineyards behind site-specific wines in the region, the 2020 Apple Alley Vineyard is a single-vineyard release named for the dirt road that leads to a vineyard above the producer's estate, once a large apple orchard. Combining 74.2% Chardonnay and 25.8% Pinot Noir, it was fermented in a majority of stainless-steel tanks and 8% oak cask, including 1.4% reserve wine from oak cask (vintages 2017 and 2018). Generous in a medium-bodied style, it hints at apple pie and lemon curd, with a bold layering of creamy pastry. The acidity is soft and well-integrated, dosage is 6 grams per liter." - Jeb Dunnuck

On the nose, delicate aromas of baked pie crust and spices dominate. A round entry leads to baked lemon curd notes. This vintage bears a soft acidity because of its nearly full malolactic status, which is not typical of the Roederer Estate style but was what the site and vintage wanted to express that year. The wine is creamy at the finish yet stays bright. At 6g/L of dosage, it sits at the top of the Extra Brut scale for a refined, round but not sweet lingering finish.