CRISTAL
2014 Brut Louis Roederer
Grapes | Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay |
Colour | White |
Origin | France, Champagne |
ABV | 12% |
60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. All Grand Cru. 31% oak vinification, 6.5 years on lees. Vivid, immediate fragrance in this edition, with fuzzy apricot and complex, subtle citrus up front, under which lurks the sensation of quality Pinot savour and savoury wholemeal toast waiting to emerge. Tremendous, compressed sapidity, almost saturated yet fresh and chalky with bright citrus juice acidity. This is both a fairly expressive, welcoming Cristal in terms of fragrance, and one with a buzzing energy, rather different to the more classical 2012 and 2013. It will be fascinating to follow. Tom Hewson Rating: 96 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Dec 2022)
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his vivid Champagne shows up-front and linear definition, thanks to rapierlike acidity, with finely meshed flavors of ripe black cherry and mandarin orange fruit, raw almond, anise and cardamom spice as well as a touch of honeycomb, which all unfurl and expand on the fine, creamy palate. Sleek acidity continues through to the finish, with additional racy character provided by a streak of minerally saline and chalk, which gains momentum through the midpalate and rings out on the well-cut, lasting finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2040. Drinking range: 2022 - 2040Alison Napjus, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2022)
The 2014 Cristal is another in a long line of gorgeous wines from Roederer and long-time Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. A dazzling, vibrant Champagne, the 2014 impresses with a stunning combination of fruit density and linear energy that brings to mind a hypothetical blend of 2012 and 2008. At times, the bubbles feel totally wrapped up in waves of creamy, resonant fruit to the point the mousse is barely perceptible, especially with aeration. The flavors are bright and finely sculpted, leaning very much into the citrus, floral and mineral end of the spectrum.
The blend is a classic: 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay taken from 39 of the 45 parcels that comprise the Cristal estate. In most vintages, the Pinot components are roughly equally split between Verzy/Verzenay and Aÿ, but in 2014, Lécaillon favored Verzy and Verzenay, two north facing villages in the Montagne de Reims (where rain was less problematic) known for conferring saline energy and vibrancy. Rain was much more of an issue in the Vallée de la Marne. Consequently, some of the Pinots in Aÿ were diluted and did not make it into the blend. Chardonnays were sourced from historic plots in Avize, Mesnil and Cramant. About 32% of the lots were fermented in wood, the rest were done in tank. As always, all of the malolactic fermentations were blocked. In 2014, the growing season was marked by a good spring followed by a cool, wet summer and then very favorable weather in September. I vividly recall that there was not much enthusiasm for the vintage at the outset. Today, though, opinions are starting to change, at least with regards to some wines.
Since 2012, Cristal has been made entirely from organically-farmed grapes, an approach Lécaillon adopted in order to achieve a more ideal and parallel relationship between sugar and phenolic ripeness. “Champagne is always a battle between picking too early and rot,” Lécaillon has often said during our tastings. One of the other benefits of organic farming is that it naturally lowers yields. As Champagne fans know, the great wines of the 1950s and 1960s were made at a time when yields were in the 5,000 kilo per hectare range. Then, in the 1980s, widespread planting of higher-yielding clones led to an entirely different situation in the vineyard. Today’s permitted yields are 11,000 kilos per hectare, with some variation in years that present unusual growing conditions. With organic farming, yields for Cristal are in the 7,000-9,000 kilo per hectare range. Another innovation at Roederer has been a focus on higher-density plantings with newer vineyards, an approach that encourages low production per vine. But back to the wine.
The 2014 Cristal is a riveting Champagne. Don’t miss it. Drinking range: 2024 - 2064 Rating: 98 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
Rather a wet summer followed by a usefully drying wind and picked, after a few days' shrivel time, from 20 September over a week. 39 of the usual 45 plots went into this 'composition' with three Aÿ Pinot lots and three from Avize excluded. 32% oak-fermented. No malo. As usual 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay from Roederer's own 100% organically grown vineyards from some of the best sites. Disgorged in June 2021, dosage 7 g/l.
Broad nose with floral notes on the nose and some strong citrus notes – lime? – on the palate with an incredibly tight texture that seems to be focused on a single point on the finish. This is surely a wine to wait for? Enormous tension but I think I'd prefer it to develop a bit more breadth ideally. Though there already is some sort of serious register on the finish. Dense and still extremely tense. This clearly has a great future ahead of it and I hope very much to encounter it in future. Drinking range: 2023 - 2040 Rating: 17.5++ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Jan 2022)
Louis Roederer
Louis Roederer is one of the largest remaining independent Champagne Houses, owned by the same family since it was founded in 1776. The house firmly established its reputation through its guiding principles: great wine depends on the quality of the soil. A passion for tradition, and an astute vision of the future.
Louis Roederer lays claim to 250 hectares to call their own (a rarity among the Grand Marque Houses) which has been cultivated organically and Biodynamically since 2000. Through these sustainable farming practices, Louis Roederer have a greater understanding about how champagne may be made to deal with ecological concerns, consumer taste and climate change. These vineyards are located in three classic Champagne districts: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, and the Côte des Blancs. The diversity of these sites provides the House with an extensive and rich palette to fashion the wines from.
In 1876, Nicholas II of Russia requested Louis Roederer to reserve the house's best cuvée just for him in a crystal bottle, leading to the now famous 'Cristal', the very first Cuvée de Prestige. A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir produced only in the best years, with long cellar aging.
At the centre of Louis Roederer is Collection. A multi-vintage blend of wines from selected vineyard plots in the Cœur de Terroir (the heart of the terroir). Each Collection's number represents the number of blends since the birth of the Louis Roederer Champagne House. Working with lower yields and riper fruit, the dosage is lower to balance the wines after long cellar aging, producing finer bubbles and a creamy, yet dry texture.
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