Louis Roederer Brut Vintage 'Late Release' 1999 - 150cl
This was Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon's first vintage as Roederer's cellar master, and he made a telling decision with it. 1999 gave the region ripe, low-acid fruit — charming, but soft. So Lecaillon dropped the dosage to 8g/l, well below the 12 that was standard at the time, then set bottles aside in the cellars and left them undisturbed for years rather than sending them out. That's the "Late Release" in the name — extra maturation, on Roederer's clock rather than the market's.
And this is the magnum — 150cl, the format serious Champagne people reach for, because the larger bottle ages more slowly and more gracefully. The blend is 60% Pinot Noir from Verzy and 40% Chardonnay from Chouilly, roughly a fifth of it fermented in oak, with the malolactic blocked to keep the acidity's spine intact.
What you get after all that time is a Champagne in full tertiary bloom. Mid-gold in the glass, a fine and settled mousse, then toast, brioche, roasted hazelnut and dried apricot, a savoury hint of mushroom and honey underneath. The low dosage keeps it dry and precise despite the richness — the finish is long, layered, unmistakably mature.
This is a bottle for an occasion that deserves one. A landmark birthday, a table of people who'll actually notice what's in the glass. Drinking wonderfully now — the magnum has plenty in reserve, but there's no reason to wait.
How to Serve
Serve at 10-12°C, not ice-cold — over-chilling mutes a mature Champagne like this. Use white-wine glasses or tulips, never narrow flutes; this wine needs room to show its aromatics. No decant, but let it warm slightly in the glass.
Where to Drink It
The Connaught Bar for the grandest possible setting. The Wolseley for a celebratory lunch under the vaulted ceiling. Or Scott's in Mayfair, where a mature Champagne and a plateau de fruits de mer belong together.
Food Pairings
Its toasty, savoury depth loves roast poultry or a whole roasted chicken far more than canapés. If you're drinking it as an aperitif, aged Comté or Parmesan draws out the nutty tertiary notes.
