Hommage à Camille
This collection is the continuation of a quest for a totally different expression of the Champagne terroirs first initiated by Camille Olry-Roederer. It is a tribute to the bold spirit of this remarkable woman who left her mark on our Champagne House.
CAMILLE, A BOLD SPIRIT
Camille was the ingenious widow at the helm of Louis Roederer from 1932 to 1975, successfully steering it through all the important events of that time.
Camille had many strong cards up her sleeve: wines from the finest Champagne terroirs, a collection of crus that her husband Léon had shrewdly acquired after the phylloxera crisis. These exceptional plots in Aÿ, Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Cumières are the treasure troves and foundations of Louis Roederer’s unique style. Their still red and white wines are an authentic expression of the Champagne terroirs that Camille held so dear.
Frédéric Rouzaud wanted to pay homage to the great-grandmother whose playful spirit he had so admired. He therefore decided to dedicate this collection of single-vineyard still wines to Camille, perpetuating the Champagne House’s inventive spirit.
VOLIBARTS
To craft this Chardonnay single-vineyard white wine, we needed to find the most suitable hillside that would give us an elegant wine with depth, structure and great style.
Our historical 55-ares, southeast-facing plot in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, where the old vines grow gently and slowly, seemed to be the ideal choice.
Our quest for complexity and a certain tannic character can only be achieved through bespoke vinification.
This Chardonnay strikes just the right balance between depth and purity, resulting in a sophisticated composition that draws itself out with exceptional freshness.
CHARMONT
We identified a 43-ares plot lying in the Charmont lieu-dit in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. The idea of creating a 100% Pinot Noir from a sunny terroir where the vines grow in direct sunlight came to us completely naturally. We were seeking a mature wine, a wine that pushes back the boundaries of the usual winegrowing practice in Champagne, illustrating another way of approaching this terroir.
After the harvest, the grapes are simply left to infuse. The juices are then transferred to French oak barrels where they will continue to integrate and become more refined over the ensuing year.
The result is a very intricate and delicately-perfumed Pinot Noir with a touch of salinity, a lively, sappy backbone and a precise texture.
A VIRTUOUS EXPERIMENTAL PATH
This new collection is the result of a twofold motion; a glance backwards, to the past, in homage to our ancestor Camille; and a gesture to the future, to that which Nature offers us and which we receive in order to render it even more beautiful. By working closely with the vines, using solar viticulture and bespoke vinification, we are able to reveal a new dimension hidden in our champagne terroirs.
