Houses
Louis Roederer
A family-owned Reims house, founded in 1776 and run by the same family since 1833, known for Cristal and for large-scale biodynamic viticulture.
- Founded
- 1776
- Location
- Reims, Champagne, France
- Ownership
- Family-owned (seventh generation)
- Known for
- Collection (multi-vintage NV, replacing Brut Premier) · Cristal (prestige cuvée) · Cristal Rosé · Biodynamic and organic viticulture at scale
- Official site
- www.louis-roederer.com
Style
Roederer farms around 240 hectares of estate vineyards — among the largest estate holdings of any champagne house — and sources the overwhelming majority of its grapes from its own vines. Since the 2000s the house has shifted significant parcels to biodynamic and organic farming, and is one of the largest biodynamic producers in France.
Cuvées
- Collection — the multi-vintage NV that replaced Brut Premier in 2021; built around a “perpetual reserve” solera-style library started in 2012.
- Vintage — a traditional single-year release.
- Blanc de Blancs — single-vintage, 100% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs.
- Rosé Vintage — pink-berry style using the saignée method.
- Cristal — the prestige cuvée, created for Tsar Alexander II in 1876; now a Pinot Noir–led, biodynamically-sourced vintage release.
- Cristal Rosé — rarer and even more selective, also biodynamic.
History
The house traces back to 1776 under the name Dubois Père et Fils; Louis Roederer took over in 1833 and gave the house its current name. It has remained under the same family’s ownership since, currently directed by Frédéric Rouzaud. The Rouzaud group also owns Deutz, Delas Frères (Rhône), Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (Pauillac) and several other wine estates.
Cristal
Cristal was originally bottled in clear lead-crystal flutes (later replaced by standard glass) for Alexander II of Russia, who feared concealed weapons in opaque bottles. It remains one of champagne’s most recognisable prestige labels.