Louis Roederer's Brut Nature is a champagne without artifice, conceived as an exchange, forged by a long-standing friendship. This champagne is the personification of the free thinking that resulted from an encounter between Maison Louis Roederer and the creator Philippe Starck.

The discussions between Frédéric Rouzaud, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon and Philippe Starck, which started over ten years ago and resulted in the first opus, Brut Nature 2006, continued and evolved, leading to a second vintage in 2009, and now a third. Today, Maison Roederer and Philippe Starck are continuing this exciting adventure with the release of the 2012 vintage.

THE VINTAGE

2012 was one of the most challenging and complicated years ever experienced in Champagne. However, difficult conditions often lead to great things… The low yields, due to the unpredictable weather, combined with continental conditions towards the end of the season, gave us unusual levels of maturity, resulting in rich, full-bodied and structured wines worthy of the greatest vintages in Champagne.

Cumières’ clay hillside, turned towards the sun and basking in its light, is a blessed enclave, whose grapes always possess a remarkable perfume and richness. This land, on the banks of the Marne river, produces opulent, generous and perfectly ripe grapes. These Pinots Noirs have constantly stood out for their quality, producing champagnes that our forefathers used to refer to as "river wines". Brut Nature was conceived to develop this idea of filiation of soil and climate.

TASTING NOTES

On the eye: Orange hue with salmon pink tints. Patient, even effervescence.

On the nose: Spicy aromas of Sichuan pepper combined with sappy and floral notes of violet and gentian. Toast and mocha on the nose resulting in an elegant and concentrated bouquet. After aeration, intense fruity notes start to emerge along with concentrated notes of wild raspberries.

On the palate: The palate is fruity. The Pinot noir offers an intense fruitiness and a tight and juicy structure complemented by ripe, almost sweet tannins. The fruit and texture display remarkable depth and are starting to show a typical “Pinot” character.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Varietals: 55% Pinot Noir, 25% Pinot Meunier, 20% Chardonnay

Appellation: Hillsides of Cumières, Hautvillers, and Vertus.