Type: Champagne
Country: France
Region: Champagne
Code: ROED145
Critical reaction to Cristal 2018 has been exceptional. Louis Roederer are masters of the Champagne art and with the release of the 2018 vintage in 2026 it marks the 250th anniversary of Louis Roederer and the 150th anniversary of Cristal itself, which was first created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II of Russia. Furthermore this is the final iteration of the Vintage Brut cuvee as we know it. When they release the 2019 vintage next year, it will be as a new Blanc de Noirs, rather than the traditional blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, to complement the Blanc de Blancs in their reshaped portfolio.

Louis Roederer

Louis Roederer Champagne, famous for Cristal Champagne, is a Champagne house of exceptional quality, aristocratic elegance and distinct style. When he inherited the Champagne House in 1833, the aesthete and entrepreneur Louis Roederer took a visionary approach to enriching his vines, aiming to master every stage of the wine’s creation. He forged the wine’s unique style, character, and taste. In the mid-nineteenth century, Louis Roederer acquired some of Champagne’s g...

Bright colour with amber-yellow highlights. A steady stream of slow-moving, fine bubbles. An intense, concentrated bouquet of fresh yellow fruit (nectarine), citrus (citron) and floral notes (pollen, orange blossom), interwoven with subtle smoky notes and hints of vanilla. The Chardonnay takes the lead, exuding a chalky freshness and a confident energy. Soft hints of cedar and menthol, bergamot and white chocolate also add to the sensation of freshness. On the palate, it is the Pinot that takes the lead – concentrated and wonderfully enveloping, with a viscosity balanced by a fine-grained tannic structure. The bubbles are perfectly incorporated into the wine’s juicy, enveloping body. The white soils show through on the mid-palate, bringing a saline note (oyster shells) that creates a delicious umami character and a mouthwatering finish.

The 2018 Cristal opens a new chapter for Roederer.?The Cristal estate is composed of 45 parcels. In better vintages, most of the 45 parcels are used for the blend. The 2018 vintage brought with it elevated ripeness and generally low acids. Longtime Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon was forced to cast his gaze wider, to look for parcels that offered a touch of freshness. Lécaillon expanded his palette to 57 parcels. The result is a Cristal unlike any other I have tasted. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, spice, chalk and herbs are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass. Floral and savory overtones are quite distinctive. Lécaillon reduced oak ferments, racked very quickly after fermentation and used all his best Chardonnay lots for Cristal, so much so that there is no Blanc de Blancs. He bottled earlier than normal and chose a crown capsule with a liner that allows less oxygen transfer than the norm here. Taken together, those choices paid off handsomely. In tasting, the 2018 is positively stunning. Its linear energy and brilliance are a bit reminiscent of the 2014, but its flavor profile is completely different from any Cristal I can remember tasting. Dosage is 7 grams per liter.” 98+ Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com

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