This Late Release 1997 from Louis Roederer has spent decades quietly evolving in the house’s chalk cellars before finally stepping into the light. The result is vintage Champagne in its most contemplative mood, mature, layered, and full of character. Time has worked its quiet magic here. Expect notes of toasted brioche, honeyed citrus and roasted hazelnuts, with hints of dried apricot, almond and a whisper of smoke drifting through the finish. The bubbles are softer now, the texture broader, and the complexity wonderfully slow to reveal itself. And in magnum, the whole performance is amplified, ageing more gracefully, pouring more generously, and creating just the right amount of theatre when the cork is eased free.