Druvor

58 Pinot Noir, 42 Chardonnay

Tasting note

Stilen är kraftfull och komplex med raffinerad finess och hög kalkig mineralitet. Krämig mousse med koncentrerad toner av kanderad citrus, vita blommor, hasselnötter och vanilj. Luftning framhäver brödiga något rökiga toner. En elegant champagne med förträfflig mousse, ljus gul färg och en frisk, kritig doft. 

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« A wine of pure pleasure and a sophisticated gastronomic wine, Cristal 
is both powerful and delicate, combining subtlety and precision. »

Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Cellar Master

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Cristal enligt Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Cellar Master

TSARENS VIN

Vårt hus mest kända vin skapades 1876 för att tillfredsställa tsar Alexander II:s krävande smaker. Kejsaren bad Louis Roederer att reservera husets bästa cuvée åt honom varje år. Han var särskilt förtjust i husets vin. För att särskilja denna cuvée kom denna exceptionella champagne i en flatbottnad, genomskinlig blykristallflaska. Det nya varumärket fick sitt namn efter detta dyrbara material, som är särskilt transparent och lysande.

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PERFEKT HARMONI

Tillverkad unikt under de bästa åren, när druvorna Chardonnay (cirka 40%) och Pinot noir (cirka 60%) har uppnått perfekt mognad, lagras Cristal i 6 år i Louis Roederers källare och lämnas i ytterligare 8 månader efter degorgement.

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EN SYMFONI AV RENHET OCH ELEGANS

Cristal är en anmärkningsvärt balanserad och raffinerad champagne vars längd är oefterhärmlig. Den har en silkeslen konsistens och fruktiga aromer, kompletterad med en kraftfull mineralkvalitet med vit frukt och citrustoner. Cristal är ett vin som håller sig bra: det kan konserveras i över tjugo år utan att förlora sin friskhet och karaktär.

Technical sheet

This report covers the recent and forthcoming releases from Louis Roederer, tasted with Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon in Reims earlier this year. Among these is the new Collection 245—a refined introduction to the house's evolving style, it's a reimagined cuvée that has replaced their Brut Premier. The focus of this wine has now shifted to highlighting the base vintage rather than producing a consistently uniform style year after year. Other featured wines include the latest Blanc de Blancs, Brut Vintage and Brut Vintage Rosé and various vintages of Cristal and Cristal Rosé. Among these is an embarrassment of riches from which to select, such as the precise and incisive 2016 Cristal, as well as the extraordinarily pure 2013 Cristal and 2013 Cristal Rosé. Both 2013 releases are now available in magnums (spoiler: they are even more complete than the standard-size bottles, combining intensity with a graceful texture). The Coteaux Champenois continues its upward trajectory, and the 2022 vintage, shaped by a warm and dry growing season, is well worth seeking out as well. 

It is difficult to pinpoint what is most impressive about Cristal—the fact that these Champagnes are crafted from meticulously farmed vineyards or that they are produced in volumes that proves high quality is not exclusive to small growers but can also be achieved on a larger scale. Cristal and Cristal Rosé, based on organically certified farming since 2012, continue to deliver outstanding performances, maintaining their reputation as two of the finest cuvées in the Grande Marque category. 

While I generally favor a lower dosage—since it can occasionally assert itself on the finish, particularly as the wine warms—Lecaillon emphasizes that this very dosage is what will sustain these Champagnes far into the future. Notably, the dosage has been reduced in recent years, and contemporary vintages exhibit greater clarity than ever before. 

Under the stewardship of Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, who oversees both winemaking and viticulture, Roederer has embarked on what could be described as a viticultural renaissance, which for Roederer means pursuing massal selection, harvesting fully ripened fruit, planting fruit trees and encouraging biodiversity in and around their vineyards, all with the goal of leaving the land in better condition than when they found it. Of Roederer’s 242 hectares, which supply most of their needs, an impressive 50% is now certified organic and is also managed following biodynamic practices. The only cuvée that includes some purchased fruit is the NV Collection. It's worth noting, however, that Cristal Rosé is sourced from only four lieux-dits, while Cristal is informed by approximately 45 plots. The story of each wine is told in greater detail in the accompanying tasting notes. 

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ROBERT PARKER WINE ADVOCATE