Champagne Louis Roederer - Brut Cristal 2015 avec étui

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

Founded in Reims in 1776, Roederer is still owned by the same family, represented today by Frédéric Rouzaud. In recent years, it has pioneered the gradual conversion of its vast 242-hectare vineyard to organic and biodynamic farming (126 hectares). Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, eminent cellar master and agronomist, never ceases to impress with his intimate knowledge of each plot on the estate and the choices he makes. Cristal exceptionnel cuvée de prestige comes exclusively from vines growing on chalk soils. The vintage wines and the heart of the non-vintage brut, now called Collection, with a number indicating the base year of the blend, still come from chalky but more clayey soils. Wines destined for longer ageing do not undergo malolactic fermentation, which means that the grapes have to be picked at high maturity, often close to 11°. Today's wines are certainly the most remarkable ever produced, including the astonishing coteaux-champenois reds and whites, with the highly confidential cuvées Camille.

Decanter

About the wine:

An open, welcoming nose that hints at cream, oats and Amalfi lemon with a hint of smoke. The palate is immediately striking for its appetizing lemony ripeness and juicy, mouthwatering generosity reminiscent of yellow plum. It remains true to Cristal's characteristic purity and bears witness to the concentration of 2015. The fine mousse accentuates the wine's fullness and roundness, while the long finish hints at a chalky depth that, for now, is dominated by ripe stone fruit and a richer, textured notion of oatmeal. A Cristal to enjoy without delay.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the domain :

A house born in Reims in 1776. Louis Roederer became owner in 1833, expanded the business and acquired vineyards. In the 1870s, the house, which delivers 2.5 million bottles, has as its main customer Russia, where Tsar Alexander II asks Louis Roederer to create a prestigious champagne: the famous Cuvée Cristal is launched (1876). With 240 hectares of vineyards (1er cru and grand cru) accounting for 2/3 of its supplies, the company is still run by the descendants of its founders. The latest, Frédéric Rouzaud, now heads a group that owns Champagnes Deutz and numerous prestige crus, from the Médoc to Provence, from Portugal to California.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

If the 2014 vintage was particularly open and demonstrative, Cristal 2015 will require more patience. Unfolding in the glass with aromas of citrus oil, crisp stone fruit, white flowers, crushed mint and subtle buttery pastry notes, it's medium- to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a deep, concentrated and rather introverted fruit core, framed by a chalky extract and enlivened by a pretty spiky mousse. This is a serious, vinous Champagne with plenty of substance to age, and could well evolve along the lines of the charming 1985.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the domain :

This is one of Champagne's finest standard-bearers. This family-run estate boasts a vineyard of 420 plots, 70% of which are classified as Grand Cru, and the majority of which are Pinot Noir. Viticulture is a real priority here, notably through the transition to biodynamic viticulture. Soil cultivation is becoming the norm. Only such an exceptional vineyard can explain the unique level of harmony and concentration in such large volumes. It's no coincidence that the cellar master, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, is not only an oenologist but also an agronomist, like Jean-Claude Rouzaud, who built the current empire of the great Roederer international vineyards. He handed over the reins of the group to his son, Frédéric Rouzaud, current Chairman, at an early age. Here, malolactic fermentation is only partial and random (between 25% and 50%). The juices are worked on their lees in vats and oak barrels, to give them thickness.

James Suckling

About the wine:

For a hot, dry vintage, this wine is extraordinarily fresh and elegant. The complex nose of citrus blossom, mint, lemon zest and lime opens up slowly as it airs in the glass. The wine's ample structure is still quite firm, which is a characteristic of the vintage, and the mousse is very fine but also very lively for an eight-year-old champagne. Lovers of Cristal will love it as it is, but a year or two more in bottle will go a long way towards the very long mineral finish of this youthful masterpiece. A cuvée of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, harvested from the 45 parcels of the Cristal vineyard. Tasted at the Cristal vertical tasting at the Champagne House on July 6, 2023. Drink immediately upon release.