The 2014 Cristal is a terrific effort that transcends the vintage. Bursting from the glass with expressive aromas of ripe citrus fruit, nectarine, white flowers, freshly baked bread and subtle hints of honeycomb, it's medium to full-bodied, vinous and fleshy, with an exuberant core of fruit that's girdled by racy acids, resulting in a wine that's simultaneously chiseled and demonstrative, meaning that early appeal doesn't come at the expense of the requisite tension for long-term cellaring. Concluding with a long, aromatic and intensely chalky finish, it is a brilliant Champagne that will offer a broad drinking window. This bottle was disgorged in June 2021 with seven grams per liter dosage.
A candidate for wine-of-the-vintage honors in Champagne, Roederer's 2013 Cristal Rosé is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, red berries, stone fruit, freshly baked bread and tangerine oil. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, the vintage's bright girdling acids are amply cloaked in exuberant, expressive and notably concentrated fruit; so while this Cristal is as tensile and age-worthy as one would expect, it's also impressively fleshy and generous given the year. Concluding with an intensely sapid finish, the 2013 isn't as overtly structured as the muscular, tightly wound 2012: rather, it's the 2013's alliance of cut and flesh, precision and charm that's so compelling this year. This is another banner vintage for what I consider the reigning champion of the region's tête de cuvée bottlings, and it will be worth an effort to acquire.
The 2012 Cristal Rosé is showing brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with a beautiful bouquet of fresh peach, bergamot, strawberries, tangerine and blanched almonds that's still quite reserved. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and strikingly complete, its vinous attack segueing into a multidimensional core that exemplifies the ideal of power without weight, built around a racy but integrated spine of animating acidity and complemented by an exquisitely refined mousse. All the concentration of the 2012 vintage is on display, but it's rendered with terrific finesse. Decidedly youthful and introverted—indeed, I spent several hours with a bottle to compose this note—the 2012 will really come into its own with five or six years in the cellar and displays all the attributes necessary for considerable longevity. It's a blend of 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay that saw no malolactic fermentation, and it was disgorged with eight grams per liter dosage.
The 2012 Cristal Rosé is showing brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with a beautiful bouquet of fresh peach, bergamot, strawberries, tangerine and blanched almonds that's still quite reserved. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and strikingly complete, its vinous attack segueing into a multidimensional core that exemplifies the ideal of power without weight, built around a racy but integrated spine of animating acidity and complemented by an exquisitely refined mousse. All the concentration of the 2012 vintage is on display, but it's rendered with terrific finesse. Decidedly youthful and introverted—indeed, I spent several hours with a bottle to compose this note—the 2012 will really come into its own with five or six years in the cellar and displays all the attributes necessary for considerable longevity. It's a blend of 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay that saw no malolactic fermentation, and it was disgorged with eight grams per liter dosage.
The 2009 Cristal Rosé is a rich and intense expression of Roederer's Cristal. Due to roughly 55% of old-vines Pinot Noir from Aÿ's calcareous clay soils and the sunny vintage, it has super luscious fruit with a velvety, caressing and powdery-chalky texture and great depth that gives it very good potential to age. There is also remarkable purity, finesse and tension in the energetic 2009, which cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon compares with the 2012 and the enchanting style of Vosne-Romannée. The 2009 Cristal Rosé is like a laser beam on the palate, very straight, sharp and precise yet elegant, intensely fruity and chalky. Very fine wild red fruit flavors feature on the nose, with crystalline freshness on the chalky palate. This is a gorgeous Cristal and another great 2009. In contrast to the 2009 white Cristal, the Rosé is perfect to drink now, perhaps only for a few months before it shuts down to start its real life in a couple of years. Tasted at the domaine in May 2018.
The 2009 Cristal Rosé is a rich and intense expression of Roederer's Cristal. Due to roughly 55% of old-vines Pinot Noir from Aÿ's calcareous clay soils and the sunny vintage, it has super luscious fruit with a velvety, caressing and powdery-chalky texture and great depth that gives it very good potential to age. There is also remarkable purity, finesse and tension in the energetic 2009, which cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon compares with the 2012 and the enchanting style of Vosne-Romannée. The 2009 Cristal Rosé is like a laser beam on the palate, very straight, sharp and precise yet elegant, intensely fruity and chalky. Very fine wild red fruit flavors feature on the nose, with crystalline freshness on the chalky palate. This is a gorgeous Cristal and another great 2009. In contrast to the 2009 white Cristal, the Rosé is perfect to drink now, perhaps only for a few months before it shuts down to start its real life in a couple of years. Tasted at the domaine in May 2018.
The finest rendition of this cuvée that Lécaillon has produced to date—and, indeed, one of the finest wines produced by any of Champagne's important houses in the last two or three decades—is the 2008 Cristal Rosé, a brilliant wine that derives from a mere four of the 45 plots that are candidates for inclusion in Cristal: two blocks of Pinot Noir from Aÿ, one of Chardonnay from Mesnil and another from Avize, and I suspect that its origin in the crème de la crème of Roederer's Cristal-worthy holdings has even more to do with the extra dimension it possesses above and beyond its white counterpart than the delicate infusion of Pinot Noir phenolics that give it its delicate pink hue. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of wild strawberries, tangerine, warm pastry and crisp green orchard fruit, the 2008 is medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a racy but beautifully integrated spine of acidity, a multidimensional core and a searingly chalky and laser-focused finish. Impeccably balanced and harmonious, this superb wine represents one of the qualitative peaks of this great vintage. It will be seven or eight years until it truly starts to blossom, but its benchmark quality is already glaringly apparent.
Louis Roederer is a renowned champagne house that has been producing some of the finest champagnes in the world since 1776. Located in the heart of the Champagne region in France, the house is known for its exceptional quality and attention to detail. One of the most sought-after champagnes produced by Louis Roederer is Cristal Rosé.
This champagne is made using a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, which are carefully selected from the best vineyards in the region. The grapes are handpicked and sorted to ensure only the best quality grapes are used in the production process. The production process for Cristal Rosé is a closely guarded secret, but it is known that the champagne is aged for at least six years in the cellars before it is released to the market. This extended aging process gives the champagne its unique flavour and character.
Cristal Rosé is a champagne that is known for its elegance and finesse. It has a delicate pink colour and a fine, persistent mousse. On the nose, it has aromas of red fruits, such as strawberries and raspberries, as well as hints of citrus and floral notes. On the palate, it is rich and complex, with a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness.
This champagne is perfect for special occasions and is often served at high-end events and celebrations. It pairs well with a variety of foods, including seafood, poultry, and desserts. Overall, Louis Roederer's Cristal Rosé is a champagne that is synonymous with luxury and quality. Its unique flavour and character make it a favourite among champagne lovers around the world.
The 2006 Cristal Rosé ages slower than the corresponding white Cristal and opens with very delicate red berry aromas on the deep and vinous nose. Highly delicate and elegant on the palate, this is a deep, dense, rich, chalky and pretty Burgundian rosé with juicy fruit and very fine tannins. Very long but always highly delicate. A gorgeous Cristal! Tasted in New York, November 2018.
The 2002 Cristal Rosé has always been suspected to become a legend one day. Now, nine years later, the onion-colored wine has arrived in the Olympus of the finest Champagnes. Clear, matured and vinous on the intense and complex yet very delicate nose, this is a lush, succulent, perfectly round and intense 2002 that equilibrates its generosity and texture with great elegance and spellbinding balance. Stunningly, this seamless, charmingly seductive and voluptuous character is combined with great purity and harmony, especially in the finish that is not just round and caressing but also fresh, piquant and stimulatingly salty. Is there anything more we could expect from a Rosé Champagne? Even if you served me the wine in a black glass, it would still be a gorgeous, beautiful wine. Yes, it's wine rather than anything else, and its bubbly vinosity makes me desperate for more. If I just could, I would marry the 2002 Cristal Rosé straightaway. The cuvée reflects a great continental vintage as well as the stupendous terroirs of Aÿ (Pinot Noir: 60%), Avize and Mesnil (Chardonnay: 40%).
