Champagne Louis Roederer - Brut Cristal 2016 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:

Cristal 2016 represents a return to purity and classicism for this cuvée, even allowing for the ripeness and generosity of early 2016. It is characteristically discreet in its youth, concealing its maturity under a long, chalky, stony energy. Sweet tangerine, pale apricot and raspberry sit beneath slowly ripening notions of floral honey and tight, smoky charm. Airy, fluid delicacy and persistence elevate this cuvée above some of this year's other expressions. This is an extremely promising Cristal, likely to rise to the same level as the highly sought-after 2012 and 2013 versions.

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:

The 2016 Cristal is a taut, incisive interpretation of this benchmark bottling, unfolding in the glass with youthful, reserved aromas of citrus oil, white flowers, wet stones and subtle notes of sweet, buttery pastry. Medium- to full-bodied, chiseled and racy, it's almost as electric as the brilliant 2013, with serious concentration, a pure core of fruit, structuring chalky dry extract and a long, intensely mineral finish. Given its very tight profile, I'd advise forgetting about it in the cellar for a few years.

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

About the wine:

It is still too young to express its full potential. With its exceptional chalky depth, this great vintage radiates intensity and immense depth, giving off an unforgettable chalky sensation. Keep for 10 years before opening.

About the domain :

Here's 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 an oenologist as well as an agronomist, just 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.

Vinous A. Galloni

About the wine:

Cristal 2016 is bright, aromatic and beautifully spicy. Citrus peel, white flowers, mint and a touch of chamomile embellish this discreet and wonderfully refined edition of Le Cristal. Light and highly refined, the 2016 is an exquisite, understated beauty. I can't wait to see how the 2016 ages, and won't be surprised if it gains a little weight in bottle, as Cristal so often does.