Roederer Estate Apple Alley 2020

Apple Alley is the nickname given to the dirt road that winds up from the winery deep into the vineyard situated above Roederer Estate. Formerly a large apple orchard, the trees along the dirt road are the last remnants of the original plantings, with some nearing 100 years in age.

This wine, along with our other single-vineyard sparkling Clark Road Vineyard, is intended to reflect what lies at the core of Roederer Estate philosophy: deep knowledge of our family owned vineyards and careful craftmanship of site-specific wines. These single-vineyard releases showcase an important sense of place and the full expression of the fruit in its terroir.

Our Chardonnay vineyards above Roederer Estate winery face south in a place where they can fully ripen. They are still close enough to the Pacific Ocean and its morning and evening fog on the West side of the valley to retain their signature bright citrus acidity. On the nose, delicate aromas of baked pie crust and spices dominate. A round entry leads to baked lemon curd notes. Because of its nearly full malolactic style, which is atypical of Roederer Estate wines but what the site and vintage called for, it bears a softer acidity. This wine has a creamy texture at the finish yet stays bright. At 6 g/L of dosage, it sits at the top of the Extra Brut scale for a refined, round and lingering finish.