Vertical Louis Roederer Vintage Blanc de Blanc '15, '16, '17

We’re excited to offer a vertical of three consecutive vintages of the Blanc de Blancs—2015, 2016, and 2017—each a window into Roederer’s evolving work in the vineyard and cellar, and each an elegant expression of the terroir of Avize. These wines aren’t about flash—they’re about form, finesse, and feeling. Tasted together, the vertical becomes a masterclass in chalk and Chardonnay, time and terroir. You’ll experience how a single Grand Cru site can reveal itself in three unique ways across three individual years, while still retaining its unmistakable fingerprint. Each bottle was aged on the lees for over five years and released only after additional rest post-disgorgement. Always crafted from the same four plots in Avize, bottled at lower pressure for a creamier mousse, and made without compromise. While in Champagne earlier this year, we were among the few lucky industry folks invited to tour Champagne Louis Roederer—a house that rarely opens its doors. To be honest, I didn’t expect to be so taken. At Off Premise, we’ve long championed grower Champagne—bottles with dirt under their nails, made by the same people who own and farm their land. But this visit shifted my perspective—not away from grower Champagne, but toward a broader appreciation of those who are consistently and thoughtfully committed to making better wine. Roederer is proof that a large house can embody everything the grower movement stands for. They’ve taken the best lessons of that movement—sustainable farming, transparency, vineyard expression—and pushed them even further. Today, Roederer farms nearly 600 acres, most of it certified organic or biodynamic. Many of these wines are now among the most compelling in Champagne—not in spite of the scale, but because of it: a rare combination of time, space, resources, and a commitment to doing it right. Many of us know Cristal—Roederer’s prestigious Champagne, first made in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II of Russia and later made famous by the hip hop artists of the 1990s. But in a side-by-side tasting, I was blown away: Louis Roederer’s Vintage Blanc de Blancs gave Cristal a serious run for its money—and at half the price. This wine, made entirely from Grand Cru plots in Avize, is nothing short of extraordinary. Once the Roederer family’s private cuvée (until the 1970s), it’s now—barely—available to those who seek out hidden gems. Though it comes from a “big house,” it behaves like a grower Champagne: focused, nuanced, and vineyard-driven. There’s nothing creamy, showy, or opulent here. Instead, it’s saline and laser-cut, with a gentle mousse and a whisper of lingering tension. Quiet and precise, yet carrying incredible depth—depth that comes from time (five years on the lees), terroir (pure chalk), and the kind of obsessive farming few expect from the big houses.