Louis Roederer Champagne Louis Roederer Brut Nature 2015 750ml

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. Bone 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.

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.

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.

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. (Alison Napjus)