Louis Roederer has been on an extraordinary run over the past decade, and the 2018 Vintage Brut may be one of the finest iterations of this Champagne the house has ever produced. Built around 80% Pinot Noir from the Grand Cru village of Verzy with 20% Chardonnay from Chouilly, this is a Pinot-driven Champagne with considerably more depth, structure, and vineyard character than one might expect at this level. In fact, 2018 marks the end of an era for the cuvée, as it is the final vintage in which Roederer included Chardonnay from Chouilly. Increasingly ripe and expressive Pinot Noir from Verzy has allowed the house to push the wine even further toward the identity of its historic Montagne de Reims vineyards. Twenty-eight percent of the wine was vinified in oak, and only 20% underwent malolactic fermentation. It spent four years aging in Roederer’s cellars before disgorgement, with an additional minimum of six months of rest, finished with a dosage of 7 grams per liter. The 2018 is wonderfully complete, with red currant, wild raspberry, and blood orange layered with flowers, spice, smoke, and crushed stone, followed by a broad, finely textured palate, persistent mousse, and a long, tangy, saline finish. This is never far from Cristal and, at a fraction of the price, retains the precision and effortless refinement that define Roederer. We have tasted many releases of Vintage Brut over the years, and 2018 stands among the very best. It is an exceptional bottle that drinks beautifully today but has more than enough structure to develop for another decade or longer.

Jeb Dunnuck.com (Audrey Frick) 94 pts! Coming from Verzy and Chouilly, the 2018 Champagne Vintage Brut has 80% Pinot Noir from Verzy and is the last vintage to include Chardonnay from Chouilly. Historically, the Chardonnay was included in the blend to soften the austerity of the Pinot Noir; however, with these recent vintages and warming conditions, this is no longer necessary, as the Pinot Noir is fully ripe and appealing on its own. In the glass, it offers aromas of pure red cherries, fresh flowers, bright spice, and wild raspberries. Medium to full-bodied, it has compact definition, a pillowy mousse, a chalky texture, and mouthwatering tangerine notes on the finish. While I am eagerly anticipating the 2019 release, this holds a fantastic place in the range to enjoy now or over the next 15 or so years.

John Gilman 94 pts!  The new release of Maison Louis Roederer’s 2018 Brut Millésime is crafted from a cépages this year of eighty percent pinot noir from the grand cru village of Verzy and twenty percent chardonnay. Twenty-eight percent of the vins clairs were barrel-fermented for this release, with twenty percent of the still wines going through full malo. The wine was aged four years sur latte and finished with a dosage of seven grams per liter. The wine’s refined bouquet delivers scents of white peach, apple, bread dough, raw almond, a beautiful base of chalky minerality, dried flowers and a hint of oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, structured and impeccably balanced, with a lovely core of fruit, excellent mineral drive and grip, elegant mousse and a very long, nascently complex and vibrant finish. This is approachable out of the blocks, but to my palate, it really deserves five or six years in the cellar to allow its secondary layers to start to emerge. Fine, fine juice. (Drink between 2026 - 2065)

Decanter (Tom Hewson) 94 pts!  Louis Roederer's vintage cuvée is 80% hailing from the northern Montagne de Reims in Pinot Noir in the ripe, approachable 2018 vintage, with the remaining 20% in Chardonnay from Chouilly. The inherent freshness of these northern slopes really benefits the style in such a vintage, with a little more precision and restraint than is sometimes present in 2018 even if the sunny cherry, sweet apple and clementine fruit is still aromatically very ripe. This is polished, silken and gently warmed-up with almond macaron richness and toasted brown bread notes, persistent rather than hugely intense but still standing to benefit from further ageing and integration of the brut dosage. (Drink between 2026 - 2040)