TheChampagneSommelier was invited for a spring lunch with Louis Roederer in Stockholm @ boutique hotel Ett Hem. [read the full champagne story]
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Stockholm. Spring has arrived with that cautious yet determined tone, like a silent observer who suddenly decides to sing out. The light filters through the newly unfolded leaves, casting playful shadows over the cobblestone streets. And I, your humble arbiter of taste, have found myself at Ett Hem. Not just a hotel, my friends, but rather an extension of someone’s exceptionally tasteful – and probably endlessly stocked – private residence.
One steps inside and feels it immediately: that rare sensation of being both a guest and completely at ease. No stiff hotel lobby with polite but impersonal greetings. Instead, one is met by an atmosphere of relaxed elegance, as if you’ve stumbled into a living issue of World of Interiors. Books in well-filled shelves, the scent of freshly brewed coffee, and a discreet friendliness that is hinted at rather than proclaimed.
And then, lunch. I had imagined rigid waiters and a menu full of pretentious concoctions. Instead? A beautifully set table in what feels like a bright and airy living room. And in the ice bucket, two icons that speak volumes: Louis Roederer and Cristal. The choice felt almost ludicrously obvious – why choose when one can embrace both extremes of exquisite champagne?
The wine list
Apéro in the terrace – a perfectly stored jéroboam of Louis Roederer ‘Brut Premier’ base 2006. The non-vintage Champagne Brut Premier is brilliant. With extra age it’s a great start for a pre-summer lunch. A rich and chocolate-scented edition with unusual softness and a nice old-fashioned style. More dried fruit than freshness. More almond cake than hazelnut. More honey than stringency. Awesome!
A trio of Collection
Louis Roederer ‘Collection 246’
91 points
‘Base vintage 2021. Perpetual reserve created in 2012 together with reserve wines in oak barrels from 2012-2020. The basic aromas are also dominated by white peaches, Granny-infected apples and chalky minerality.’
Louis Roederer ‘Collection 245’
90 points
‘Base vintage 2020. Perpetual reserve created in 2012 together with reserve wines in oak barrels from 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Fresh, house-style and youthfully balanced.’
Louis Roederer ‘Collection 243’
93 points
The base is the warm and fine vintage of 2018 with 10% reserve wines on barrel down to 2012 and 31% Perpetual Réserve also down to 2012. The dosage is 8 grams. Maybe because I only tasted the wine on half a bottle, but less impressive than expected with the nice vintage in the base. A little knotted and not enough layers or shades. Roederer’s basic notes, however, are in the form of a nicely composed apple-scented perfume and yellow plums with fine minerality. Higher notes now in regular bottle and even better in magnum.’
The vintage trio
The Vintage Rosé and Blanc de Blancs offer an aristocratic elegance typical of the house, and the vintage wine is always among the best.
2016 Louis Roederer ‘Millésime’
92 points
‘Only Verzy and Chouilly with 33% oak barrel fermentation and 7-gram dosage. In the past, both Roederer Blanc de Blancs and Roederer Millésime were rich compositions from several villages and locations. Jean-Baptiste has refined the character by limiting himself to three villages for these two wines. As for the choice of pure Avize in the Blanc de Blancs, I have no objection, but as for the decision to only let Verzy stand for the entire carol of Pinot Noir in the vintage wine, I have my doubts. I think that the complexity becomes greater and more house-typical with several terroir colors. In any case, this wine is a little less developed and less complex than both Blanc de Blancs and Cristal 2016. In the past, the vintage was often the most finished at launch, but since 2008 it is often the other way around. Deep golden color. Slightly closed aroma and undeveloped taste, but both the aroma and taste have a lot to offer in the long run. There are already faint traces of chocolate, roasted notes, hazelnuts, strawberry jam and orange here. Brilliant and clear colour, lightly roasted and nuanced oak. Red currants, yellow plums, hazelnuts, milk chocolate, candied lemon, Granny Smith is most noticeable among the aromas. The texture is strikingly silky with a creamy mousse and at the same time with a salty and mineral sharpness. The minerality is striking and the attack is a bit harsh at the moment. Drink 2030–2045.’
2017 Louis Roederer ‘Rosé’
94 points
‘A relatively weak vintage in general, but in Jean-Baptiste’s hands, completion is achieved anyway. Classic and actually already completely mature Roederer rosé with just a lot of everything in wonderfully enjoyable mature balance. Mature strawberries and strawberries dance together with white chocolate, whipped cream, melon and gratefulness in perfect happy harmony right now. If you who follow my champagne Friday movies have received for you that I am sponsored by Louis Roederer as I usually drink the three vintages from the house when I go to a restaurant, I can only say that you are totally wrong. The reason is quite different. These three top wines are strangely enough among the most affordable one can find both in the store and at the star restaurant. If you exclude the Vinothèque wines and all Cristals, the entire Louis Roederer’s portfolio is price-based finds. Drink 2017 Rosé between 2024–2026.’
2016 Louis Roederer ‘Cristal’
96 points
‘Cristal is today the most sought-after cuvée de prestige, and has perhaps the most appetizing appearance of any wine in the world. No malolactic fermentation at all, 7-gram dosage, 31% in oak barrels and wines from 32 locations in Verzenay, Verzy, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Ay, Avize, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant. Once again, Jean-Baptiste succeeds in creating a composition that only takes a fraction of a second to recognize when you put your nose in the glass. Cristal is not a wine that deviates from other top champagnes in terms of the type of aromas. No, instead, it is the distribution and composition of all the usual ingredients that are always composed into an unmistakably own perfume and delightfully perfect taste experience. The 2016 is a shy and light edition that must be drunk with great concentration so that nothing is overlooked. I will age my bottles for many years and let the high acidity and minerality carry the wine to greater heights in ten years. Fine small bubbles, medium intensity classic aroma of white and yellow honeyed flowers, candied citrus, white chocolate, almonds and white peaches. Soft silky delicious and caressing familiar friend caresses the tongue. The same aromas here now with added sea salt and mouthwatering minerality.’
Cristal, the imperial creation, arrived last. That pale golden hue, the endless tiny bubbles rising like a whisper. The aroma? A subtle symphony of citrus, white flowers, and a hint of toasted bread. On the palate, it was precisely as elegant and taut as one expects. An aristocrat among bubbles, with a backbone of minerality and a finish that lingers like a love letter. The kind of champagne that makes one sit up a little straighter, ready for whatever the world might throw one’s way.
Then, Roederer, the house signature. More generous, more open-hearted, as always in its youth. A golden color reminiscent of the spring sun. The aroma was richer, with notes of ripe apples, hazelnuts, and a wonderful creaminess. In the mouth, it was fuller, with a perfectly balanced acidity that prevented it from becoming heavy. A champagne that embraces, that invites conversation and laughter. The kind of drink that makes one lean back and simply enjoy the moment.
I always smile when a vintage rosé from Roederer is served, because of its utter deliciousness. The 17 doesn’t leave You disappointed. What a spring rosé!
To these noble beverages was served a lunch that was as uncomplicated as it was exquisite. No frills, just first-class ingredients treated with respect. An Uber-elegant starter with white asparagus and Sobrasada in the dressing, so fresh you could almost taste the soil it had grown in. Followed by a perfectly cooked fish with a simple lemon sauce that allowed the ingredient’s own flavor to speak. And finally, a crispy pie with a crumbly topping that reminded one of grandmother’s best baking – if grandmother had a Michelin star in her kitchen.
It’s easy to become cynical in my line of work. Seeing through facades and empty promises is an occupational hazard. But at Ett Hem, everything felt genuine. The thoughtfulness in the details, from the hand-picked flowers on the table to the quiet attentiveness of the staff, created an atmosphere of true hospitality.
Sitting there in the spring sunshine, with two glasses of the world’s finest champagne before me and a tasteful yet unpretentious meal, didn’t feel like a review. It felt like a privilege. A moment of stillness and enjoyment in an otherwise noisy world.
Ett Hem is not just a hotel. It’s a feeling. A reminder that luxury isn’t always about gold and glitter, but rather about care, quality, and a sense of belonging. And with the flavors of Cristal and Roederer still dancing on my tongue, I can only conclude that this spring visit to Stockholm was precisely the injection of beauty and well-being that a weary soul needed. If AA Gill had been here? I suspect even he would have nodded in agreement, perhaps even with a rare smile on his lips.
‘Buy all the Roederer wines you come across from the most drinkable address in the world!’
TheChampagneSommelier
