Champagne Louis Roederer

Today, Louis Roederer is one of the most prestigious champagne houses in the world. But, back in 1760, it was a small business that belonged to the Reims-based Dubois family, under the name "Dubois Père et Fils". Sixteen years later, in 1776, the house was sold to a man named Nicolas-Henri Schreider. He would become the official founder of the House Roederer, although he didn't give it its current name. In 1827, Mr. Schreider hired his nephew, a young man called Louis Roederer (born in Strasbourg, in the Alsace region), and made him his second-in-command.

When Nicolas-Henri died in 1833, Louis Roederer inherited the champagne house, which he then renamed. Later, he also bought 15 hectares of additional vineyards and started the legend of House Roederer. Louis turned out to be a shrewd businessman, who managed to develop champagne exports and who convinced many members of the elite to try out his wines. His most notable encounter happened in 1867, three years before his death, when he showcased his champagne at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. There, he met the Czar Alexander II of Russia, who fell head over heels for Roederer's champagne cuvées. He even promised to order wine from the French entrepreneur regularly.

From that event, the famous "Cristal" cuvée was actually born. The czar wanted his champagne to be delivered in transparent bottles, with flat bottoms. The reason? The man had many enemies who were quite fond of explosive devices and poison. So, in 1876, the very first bottle of Cristal was given to the Russian emperor's court. The relationship between House Roederer and Russia would actually be a lasting one, even long after Louis passed away in 1870. This explains why you can still find the czar's coat of arms on the champagne's labels. Louis Roederer II was next in line to manage the family business, taking over from his father.

For ten years, Louis II did everything he could to help improve the family brand. After his unfortunate early death in 1880, his sister Léonie and her husband Jacques Olry were now in charge of the business, followed soon after by their two sons: Léon and Louis-Victor Olry-Roederer. Despite his efforts, Léon died in 1932 leaving House Roederer on its knees, as it faced too many huge crises, too fast. His widow, Camille Olry-Roederer then became the new manager. She worked hard for 42 years and succeeded in bringing back the glory days. The champagne house was prosperous once again and Camille started investing in new vineyards and improving international sales. Part of the grapevines located in the Montagne de Reims, Marne Valley and Côte des Blancs regions were now cultivated according to biodynamic or organic farming principles. In total, there were 410 different parcels located within the Roederer vineyard.

Jean-Claude Rouzaud, Camille's grandson, inherited the family business in 1975. Thanks to his background in oenology, he brought more cohesiveness to the prestige champagne brand. In 1993, the House Louis Roederer with Jean-Claude at the helm bought shares in the champagne house Deutz, as well as in the legendary Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, in Pauillac (Bordeaux region). Jean-Claude's son, Frédéric Rouzaud, took over after his father's death in 2006. Nowadays, the Roederer brand still belongs to the very same family that created it, which is actually quite rare in the world of champagne.

Discover the champagne from House Louis Roederer.