Critic ratings
vinous
1995
Rating:
95
–95
The 1995 Cristal Rosé (Late Disgorged) is an excellent choice for drinking now, as it has pretty much reached the point where further improvement in the cellar is unlikely. At the same time, the 1995 shows no signs of fading; rather it gives the impression it will stay at this plateau for at least a handful of years, and likely longer. The flavors are bold and direct in a powerful yet slightly compact Cristal Rosé built on length. Orange peel, sweet red stone fruits, cinnamon, hazelnut and coffee add the final layers of nuance.
vinous
1995
Rating:
95
–95
Very pale rose-gold color. Singular nose hints at wild strawberry, raspberry and toast, along with exotic hints of mango and pineapple. Very dry and elegant, but with extraordinary intensity of flavor and incipient creaminess. An extremely young wine with the material and structure to develop for another 15 years or more. A great rose.
vinous
2000
Rating:
95
–95
The 2000 Cristal Rosé emerges from the glass in a stunning display of well-articulated aromas and flavors. Everything in is perfect balance as this perfumed wine opens up in the glass in a style that recalls the weightless transparency of a great Burgundy. The finish is long, sweet and incredibly refined. I came back to the bottle several hours after opening, and the wine had blossomed into an extraordinary Champagne. In 2000 the Brut Cristal Rosé is 70% Pinot Noir from Aÿ and 30% Chardonnay from Mesnil, Avize and Oger. Roughly 15% of the wine was aged in oak. This is Lot: L029898D100064, disgorged February 1st, 2007.
vinous
2000
Rating:
93
–93
Pink with an orange rim and a vigorous mousse. Deep cherry, berry skin, spiced nuts and flowers on the nose, brightened by blood orange and smoky minerals. Taut, finely etched red berry and citrus flavors gain flesh with air, taking a turn to bitter cherry, toffee apple and yellow plum. Sappy, lightly chewy and concentrated, with a long, spicy finish. Changed continually in the glass but maintained an impressive, nervy precision, suggesting that it will reward cellaring.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
99
–99
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.
robert_parker
2012
Rating:
98
–98
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.
robert_parker
2009
Rating:
94
–96
The 2009 Cristal Rose is simply fabulous. It is shaping up to be an explosive, kaleidoscopic Champagne loaded with sumptuous fruit. The balance and pedigree here are simply mind-bending. In 2009 Cristal Rose is 60% Pinot Noir from Ay and 40% Chardonnay from Mesnil and Avize. Not a bad combination! Approximately 12% of the wine was aged in oak. This will be a fascinating Champagne to follow in the coming years and decades.
robert_parker
2008
Rating:
96
–96
Roederer's 2008 Cristal Rosé is a pure but textured, perfectly ripe, round, luscious and mouth-filling Champagne with power and concentration as well as a crystalline, elegant precision and stunning, citrusy freshness. Sourced in four biodynamically farmed plots in Aÿ (two vineyards with old-vines Pinot Noir on calcareous clay soils that can give exceptional ripeness but also crystalline freshness), Avize and Mesnil (one-third), the 2008 is a blend of 55% to 57% Pinot Noir and 43% to 45% Chardonnay and was fermented partly (15%) in large oak casks, with 16% having undergone malolactic fermentation. The unique light peach to pink-salmon color as well as the combination of juicy ripeness and great freshness is the result of "infusion," a vinification method practiced at Roederer since 1974 to combine finesse and mineralization with depth and ripeness. Cristal Rosé is produced with the saignée process after a cold maceration of seven to ten days and, after being blended with Chardonnay, is fermented like a dry wine. The delicate and subtle bouquet of the 2008 Cristal Rosé is intense and fruity, intertwining red berry and sweet cherry aromas with floral flavors and a touch of caramel and nuts. On the palate, the 2008 is very elegant, fine, pure, precise and fresh but nevertheless dense, intense and fleshy, with lots of powdery chalk and a pure, very fresh, chalky-salty finish with zesty citrus flavors. The 2008 should have enormous aging potential. The Rosé was disgorged in March 2017, and the dosage is eight grams per liter. Tasted at the domaine in May 2018.
robert_parker
2008
Rating:
100
–100
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.
robert_parker
2006
Rating:
96
–96
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.
robert_parker
2004
Rating:
96
–96
With red berry and currant aromas on the pure and salty, complex and delicately vinous nose, the 2004 Cristal Rosé is a juicy but structured, vibrantly fresh and energetic cuvée with very fine tannins, great lightness, finesse and elegance. Tasted in New York, November 2018.
robert_parker
2002
Rating:
100
–100
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%). The bottle I tasted at Roederer in Reims in May 2018 was disgorged in 2011, so, like the 2008, after eight years on the second lees.
Postscript: When I came back home from the tasing two weeks later and re-read my notes that finished with, "This is very, very close to 100 points," and had the score as "99+" (the most brutal of all scores), I asked myself: was this artificial reservation just because of the stupendous potential of the 2008 Cristal? Or was it due to the fact the 2002 Cristal Rosé could be topped by the 2002 Cristal Rosé Vinothèque in five years or so? Sometimes we critics tend to be too academic while speed tasting wine, and we don't have the spontaneous joy of drinking wine like our readers. If I only had the choice, I would have ended my day with the 2002 Cristal Rosé, but in fact, I met the wine only for 15 to 20 minutes. I loved it, it's a spellbinding beauty, but is this 2002 really the first 100-pointer Champagne in the 40-year history of The Wine Advocate? I don't know if it is the best Champagne of the past 40 years (I would never say that for any wine), but in fact, I would be the first reviewer giving a Champagne the perfect score. Is this wine really worth it? Today, I am asking myself why I have put myself through these questions instead of just drinking a glass of this Rosé Cristal, at least one! What do we know about tomorrow? Will we still be here? Will the 2008 be as good as the 2002 is right now just because the grapes were cultivated 100% biodynamically, thus with even more care? Well, here and now is the 2002, and it will most likely not get any better but will keep its high class for years. It is doubtlessly the finest Rosé Champagne I have ever had, and if I had to write down all the attributes I like to find in a perfect Rosé, it would be charm, finesse and generosity as well as freshness, intensity and purity, or simply: "Just like the Cristal Rosé 2002."
robert_parker
2002
Rating:
95
–95
The 2002 Brut Cristal Rose shows the classic Roederer introspectiveness that can sometimes make the wines hard to grasp when they are young. It, too, is a relatively lightly-colored rose. The bouquet is beautifully woven into a fabric of layered, ripe fruit. With some time in the glass, the wine’s textural beauty becomes more apparent, but this is a Champagne that needs bottle age. It should be spectacular in time. Cristal Rose is made with the same technique as the rose, which is to say the Pinot is cold-macerated on the skins for 6-7 days, but the percentage of oak is a touch higher. For Cristal Rose the Pinot is sourced from Ay and the percentage of Chardonnay (from Avize and Mesnil) is a touch higher than the Brut Rose at 40% of the blend. This is Lot L031784L100149, disgorged in April, 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022.
This is another set of exceptional new releases from Roederer, one of the very few of the larger houses that captures the full potential of Champagne as an art of blended wine. Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon and his team have done a marvelous job with these Champagnes. Unfortunately, I was not able to taste the 2004 Cristal, which will be released in the Spring of 2010. Lecaillon is also working on a new wine, a Brut Nature Champagne (equal parts Pinot and Chardonnay, and likely to be a vintage wine) which will also be released next Spring. Readers who want to learn more about this historic house may want to take a look at my vertical of Cristal going back to 1979 available on www.erobertparker.com.
Importer: Maisons Marques & Domaines USA, Inc., Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000
robert_parker
2002
Rating:
96
–96
Tasted at the IMW Louis Roederer tasting. A blend of 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay, 20% oak fermented. Disgorged in April 2008, this has a light, dewy, rose petal tinged nose that is as light as a feather. Very understated and alluring. It unfurls in the glass with hints of hazelnut, strawberry pralines and a hint of icing sugar. The palate is beautifully balanced, silky smooth, touches of morello, orange peel, acacia, very refined and poised on the finish. Beautiful. Drink now-2025+ Tasted December 2009.
robert_parker
2000
Rating:
95
–95
The 2000 Cristal Rose emerges from the glass in a stunning display of well-articulated aromas and flavors. Everything in is perfect balance as this perfumed wine opens up in the glass in a style that recalls the weightless transparency of a great Burgundy. The finish is long, sweet and incredibly refined. I came back to the bottle several hours after opening, and the wine had blossomed into an extraordinary Champagne. In 2000 the Brut Cristal Rose is 70% Pinot Noir from Ay and 30% Chardonnay from Mesnil, Avize and Oger. Roughly 15% of the wine was aged in oak. This is Lot: L029898D100064, disgorged February 1st, 2007. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020.
Roederer is one of the most impressive estates in Champagne. Few houses have managed to reconcile this level production in a negociant operation while achieving such a consistently outstanding level of quality across the entire range. Roederer owns 214 hectares of vineyards, which is enough to meet 65-70% of the house’s needs. The vintage wines are made from 100% estate-grown fruit, while the NV wines are made with the addition of roughly 45% purchased fruit. Generally speaking, malolactic fermentation and oak aging are used to a higher degree for the NV range than for the vintage wines. Dosage varies as well, and ranges from 11-12 grams for the entry-level wines to 9-10 for the tete de cuvee Cristal. Unfortunately because if its rabid following the vast majority of Cristal is drunk upon release, which is ironic, if not downright tragic, considering Cristal is a wine that starts peaking around age 15-20, and that can last much longer under ideal storage conditions. With Cristal, Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon aims to make an ageworthy Champagne that is fresh and floral when young, but that is also capable of considerable development with bottle age, qualities the finest Cristals have in spades. In the best vintages one tank of Cristal Rose is also made that features the exquisite Pinot Noir of Ay. Unfortunately Roederer does not provide disgorgement dates for its wines, but the bottles have codes that can be traced back to dates at the winery. It would be great to see this venerable property add a simple disgorgement date, at least for their top wines, considering the significant financial investment required to purchase them.
Importer: Maison Marques & Domaines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000
robert_parker
1996
Rating:
96
–96
The 1996 Cristal Rose could turn out to be even better, in fact today it appears to be moving ahead of Cristal. The boisterous, exuberant fruit literally jumps out of the glass in a heady display of sheer class. Roses, flowers and minerals of all sorts are layered into a mousse of unbelievable elegance and polish.
robert_parker
2015
Rating:
95
–95
If the 2014 vintage was especially open and demonstrative, the 2015 Cristal is going to require more patience. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of citrus oil, crisp stone fruits, white flowers, crushed mint and subtle hints of buttery pastry, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a deep, concentrated and rather introverted core of fruit framed by chalky extract and animated by a pretty pinpoint mousse. This is a serious, vinous Champagne that has considerable substance to age and may well evolve along the lines of the lovely 1985.
robert_parker
2014
Rating:
96
–96
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.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
96
–96
Notes of crisp yellow orchard fruit, white flowers, blanched almonds and warm brioche introduce the 2013 Cristal, a full-bodied, layered and incisive wine that's taut and chiseled but also notably exuberant in a vintage that I admire immensely but which can sometimes present an austere side. Deep, concentrated and penetrating, it's complemented by a pinpoint mousse and concludes with a long, saline finish. Less introverted than its 2012 predecessor, readers won't regret trying a bottle of the 2013 Cristal young—even if I'd recommend forgetting some for a decade too.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
98
–98
I've revisited Roederer's 2013 Cristal four times since I reviewed it in April of this year—including several times from my own cellar—and I had to admit that even my lavish praise didn't do it full justice. Combining the cool-vintage cut of 2008 with the more completely mature fruit of 2012, the 2013 Cristal might well be said to represent the perfect combination of the two from a purist's perspective. The wine unwinds in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, almond paste and citrus oil, followed by a medium to full-bodied, seamless and multidimensional palate that's intense but weightless, with racy acids, a pinpoint mousse and a long, penetrating finish. Drink the 2008 Cristal on its own, and you're unlikely—to put it mildly—to have any complaints; but compare it directly with the 2013 and you'll see Roederer's rapid progress in the vineyards writ large.
robert_parker
2012
Rating:
97
–97
Aromas of clear honey, crisp green orchard fruit, white peach, pastry cream and dried white flowers introduce the 2012 Cristal, a full-bodied, concentrated and powerful wine that's built for the cellar. Broader, more textural and more muscular than the 2008 Cristal, with seemingly even greater reserves of structuring dry extract, the 2012 is incisive and searingly chalky. This is the first Cristal produced exclusively from organically farmed fruit, and it marks the opening of a new chapter for Louis Roderer. The blend is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, vinified without malolactic fermentation and disgorged with 7.5 grams per liter dosage. Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon has once again excelled himself.
robert_parker
2009
Rating:
94
–96
The 2009 Cristal literally shimmers on the palate, showing great depth and purity in its sumptuous layers of fruit. It is a magnificent wine endowed with superb length and exceptional overall balance. The 2009 Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. The percentage of wine aged in oak is 15%, which is down slightly from previous vintages.
Note: as indicated by the score in parentheses, this was a pre-release tasting just before the wine was bottled.
robert_parker
2009
Rating:
95
–95
The 2009 Cristal is a blend of Grands Crus from the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs (a total of 33-34 parcels of which 40% were farmed biodynamically). Like the 2008 Cristal, the 2009 also blends 60% Pinot Noir with 40% Chardonnay, and 16% of the wine was vinified in oak casks. No malolactic fermentation was done. The 2009 was aged for six years in the cellars and was disgorged in March 2016 with a dosage of eight grams per liter. Released two years ago, the 2009 is just starting another, more "Burgundian" life. Tasted in May 2018, the bouquet was pretty reductive, with flinty and toasty/nutty notes and some potted ginger flavors. Full-bodied, round and rich on the palate, this is a stunningly pure, fresh and salty 2009 that is driven by its chalky terroir and the lingering salinity. Is it really 2009? It is ripe, yes, but driven by the strength of chalk. The finish is pure, clean, fresh, very complex and long yet delicate and endlessly salty. However, two years after disgorgement, the 2009 Cristal is closing down and in a pretty reductive stage right now. Tasted May 2018.
robert_parker
2008
Rating:
97
–97
Let's start describing the 2008 Cristal technically first. It is a 60/40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from 36 plots in seven grands crus: Verzy, Verzenay, Beaumont and Aÿ for the Pinot Noir and Mesnil, Avize and Cramant for the Chardonnay. Twenty-five percent of the wine was fermented in oak, and 16% underwent malolactic fermentation to moderate the fresh acidity of the 2008 vintage. The assemblage was bottled in May 2009. After 8.5 years on the second lees (longer than any Cristal before), the first release was disgorged in September 2017 with a relatively low dosage of 7.5 grams per liter.
So, here is how it tastes as a "young" cuvée: The 2008 Cristal opens bright, super clear, fresh and pure on the exciting, absolutely fascinating nose with its fine, complex and elegant bouquet of gorgeously ripe and matured fruits, brioche and chalk expressions. This is the finest you can get from Champagne. The palate is pure, lean, fresh and filigreed but concentrated, highly complex, full of tension and enormously vibrant. This is a great vin de terroir, a dense and elegant Super-Cristal that goes straight and precise as a laser beam over the palate but also has texture in the form of sensually fleshy fruit. The dosage, however, is the lowest ever: just 7.5 grams. The endless and highly tensioned finish is complex, citrusy fresh, full of chalk and crystalline finesse. The 2008 Cristal is a vitalizing drug, "the Chevalier Montrachet of Champagne," as Jean-Baptise Lécaillon puts it. It is the most exciting 2008 Champagne I have tasted thus far (May 2018).
robert_parker
2008
Rating:
98
–98
Disgorged in September 2017 with 7.5 grams per liter dosage, the 2008 Cristal was produced from 37 of the 45 parcels that are candidates for inclusion in this cuvée—some 40% of which were farmed organically back in 2008—and it's a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. The finest young Cristal in decades, the wine wafts from the glass with a pure and vibrant bouquet of crisp orchard fruit, clear honey, warm brioche, citrus zest and white flowers. On the palate, it's full-bodied, intense and incisive, with superb concentration, racy acids and a long, searingly chalky finish. Pristinely balanced, there are some 500,000 bottles of this legend-in-the-making.
robert_parker
2007
Rating:
95
–95
Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon calls Cristal "the first terroir cuvée of the Champagne." He furthers, "It’s not just Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, but the chalk that brings the ultimate finesse, length and precision of Cristal." Forty-five blocks with averaging age of 43-years-old, low-yielding vines form the base of Cristal, which is usually made of approximately 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. Due to an early bud break (end of March) and the wet summer, the 2007 was picked at the end of August, so almost 100 days after the flowering instead of the normal 93-95 days. There is a bit less Pinot Noir than usual (57%) and accordingly, more Chardonnay (43%) in the 2007 Cristal. This Champagne comes along in a golden color and with a deep and matured, yet well-defined bouquet of ripe yellow fruits and honey notes. Full-bodied, round and very complex, the generous 2007 is a perfect mix of ripe fruit and precise minerality. It is a silky textured, pure and precise, as well as powerful and expressive Champagne. It has great tension and grip in the very long and persistent finish. Great expression of chalk. The 2007 was disgorged in 2015. The 2009 is to be released in September; the 2008 won't be in the market earlier than January 2018. Neither a 2010 nor a 2011 will be released, but a 2012.
robert_parker
2006
Rating:
93
–93
Roederer’s 2006 Brut Cristal is striking in its sense of lift and delicacy, serving as one of many instances where those bringing preconceptions of this vintage’s warmth and ripeness of fruit to their experience may be pleasantly surprised. A nose of fresh apple, fennel and cucumber sets up associations with a slaw or salad that are crisply, lusciously and refreshingly redeemed on the palate. A garland of honeysuckle and heliotrope complements subtle suggestions of raw almond and vanilla, while alkaline and iodine notes as well as cooling but pungent green herbal notes add to the soothing yet stimulating finish. This exceptionally poised, refined, and buoyant performance is apt to gain depth with a few years’ bottle age.
Owners of vast vineyards (totaling some 500 acres) that supply the majority of their fruit, Roederer also presides—by design as well as due to that vastness—over a mind-bending number of micro-vinifications, divided entirely between tanks and foudres, supplemented by a concomitantly deep and diverse range of reserve wines. But for all of the variety that these phenomena entail, scarcely any lots undergo malolactic transformation.
Importer: Maisons, Marques & Domaines USA, Oakland CA; tel. (510) 587-2000
robert_parker
2006
Rating:
95
–95
The 2006 Cristal shows rich and ripe (tropical) fruit on the nose along with delicate brioche notes. Round and textured on the palate, this is a generous but fresh, fine and salty Cristal with a very long and greatly finessed finish. Tasted in New York, November 2018.
robert_parker
2005
Rating:
93
–93
The 2005 Cristal is drinking very well, and it stands out as a fine effort in this challenging year for Champagne. Offering up aromas of crisp orchard fruit, nectarine, freshly baked bread and subtle hints of honeycomb, it's medium to full-bodied, elegantly fleshy and incisive, with racy acids and a pearly mousse, concluding with a long, chalky finish.
robert_parker
2005
Rating:
93
–93
The 2005 Cristal stands out for its exceptional inner perfume and elegance. Soft, delicate and pretty, the 2005 is a relatively immediate Cristal with all of the signatures very much in the right place. The 2005 doesn’t have the opulence of the 2002 nor the focus of the 2004, but it is a very pretty, if somewhat small-scaled version of this iconic Champagne. I would drink the 2005 while the 2002 and 2004 age. Although Cristal has an impeccable track record when it comes to aging, personally I would not push it with the 2005. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020.
Roederer fans will find plenty of delicious wines in this lineup. Best of all, many of the best wines this year won’t break the bank. Unfortunately I did not taste Roederer’s NV wines, as the house does not list disgorgement dates or base vintages on their labels. Still, there are few estates in Champagne that are so consistently outstanding across their entire range.
Importer: Maisons Marques & Domaines USA, Inc., Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000
robert_parker
2004
Rating:
96
–96
The estate's 2004's had been recently disgorged at the time of my visit. An explosion of fruit emerges from the 2004 Cristal, making a strong and very positive first impression. This is a wine of incredible finesse, length and balance that promises to develop beautifully over the next several decades. Today the 2004 comes across as more linear than the 2002. It should fill out nicely in bottle, although my sense is it will always remain a more focused, pointed vintage. The 2004 Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. In 2009 dosage was 9-10 grams per liter, down from the 12 or so grams that was customary five years ago. This bottle was disgorged in January 2009.
robert_parker
2004
Rating:
97
–97
The 2004 Brut Cristal has put on quite a bit of weight since I first tasted it earlier this year. It is a powerful, structured Cristal layered with considerable fruit. Chardonnay seems to play the leading role in 2004, at least today. Cristal is often accessible young, but that is far from the case here. This is a serious, painfully young Cristal that will require considerable patience. Readers who are willing to spend some time with the wine today will find a super-impressive, complete Cristal. The 2004 Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. This is Lot L033331E100008, disgorged January, 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2034.
My visit to these historic cellars earlier in the year was an eye-opening experience. I spent several hours with Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon tasting through a wide range of 2009s vins claires. Readers may want to take a look at my feature on www.erobertparker.com for more on those wines. The visit was capped off by previews of the 2004 Cristal and the as-yet-unreleased Cristal Rose. Both were superb. Over the last six months the 2004 Cristal has come together beautifully and is shaping up to be a truly great, monumental Champagne. From top to bottom, this is an impressive set of wines. My only real criticism of Roederer is the estate’s insistence on using lot numbers that resemble missile launch codes in their complexity. Surely something simpler must be possible.
Importer: Maisons Marques & Domaines USA, Inc., Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000
robert_parker
2002
Rating:
96
–96
Roederer’s 2002 Cristal is still in its infant, fresh stage. Subtle notes of pears, flowers, spices, mint, minerals and oak are woven into a cashmere-like frame of extraordinary grace and elegance. This beautifully-sculpted Champagne possesses notable clarity but with the additional depth of fruit that is characteristic of this vintage. It is a gorgeous, seductive Cristal of the highest level. In 2002, Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay with 10 grams of dosage. 20% of the wine was fermented in oak. This is Lot : L030351A107809. This bottle was disgorged in June 28th, 2007. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2032.
Roederer is one of the most impressive estates in Champagne. Few houses have managed to reconcile this level production in a negociant operation while achieving such a consistently outstanding level of quality across the entire range. Roederer owns 214 hectares of vineyards, which is enough to meet 65-70% of the house’s needs. The vintage wines are made from 100% estate-grown fruit, while the NV wines are made with the addition of roughly 45% purchased fruit. Generally speaking, malolactic fermentation and oak aging are used to a higher degree for the NV range than for the vintage wines. Dosage varies as well, and ranges from 11-12 grams for the entry-level wines to 9-10 for the tete de cuvee Cristal. Unfortunately because if its rabid following the vast majority of Cristal is drunk upon release, which is ironic, if not downright tragic, considering Cristal is a wine that starts peaking around age 15-20, and that can last much longer under ideal storage conditions. With Cristal, Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon aims to make an ageworthy Champagne that is fresh and floral when young, but that is also capable of considerable development with bottle age, qualities the finest Cristals have in spades. In the best vintages one tank of Cristal Rose is also made that features the exquisite Pinot Noir of Ay. Unfortunately Roederer does not provide disgorgement dates for its wines, but the bottles have codes that can be traced back to dates at the winery. It would be great to see this venerable property add a simple disgorgement date, at least for their top wines, considering the significant financial investment required to purchase them.
Importer: Maison Marques & Domaines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000
robert_parker
2002
Rating:
98
–98
Roederer's 2002 Cristal is a fabulous wine! Originally released in 2009, it was re-released in March this year—and was sold out in a very short time. The Cristal I tasted at Roederer in May 2018 was disgorged in 2010, after seven years sur lie. Its amazing richness and concentration makes it a forerunner of the 2015 and follows the 1999. Only two times—2002 and 2015—the fruit from all 42 plots reserved for Cristal was used for the Cristal. "I couldn't do any better blend than the one assembling all the 42 plots," says Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, stressing that at that time only two hectares were farmed biodynamically. As a result of the conversion to biodynamic farming, Lécaillon promised himself the production of even more beautiful, vital and balanced wines, and you can feel his satisfaction whenever he speaks of the cuvées that are yet to come such as 2012 and 2015, the latter of which he calls "the new 2002." Back to history: the nose of the 2002 Cristal shows a deep, ripe and elegant fruit with aromas of white chocolate, wet chalk, wild vanilla and pepper (typical for 2002) as well as terroir-driven truffle notes. Intense and very elegant in the mouth, this is a ripe, rich and concentrated yet also pure and vital Cristal with great finesse, elegance and mineral complexity. It's a sublime Champagne right now, although it's more wine than Champagne. Tasted in Reims in May 2018.
robert_parker
2002
Rating:
94
–94
Seriously precocious nose with notes of apple blossom, fresh strawberries, clotted cream, cashews and lightly toasted hazelnuts plus a barely detectable hint of oak. Great concentration of apple crumble flavours with very fine bubbles and a crisp backbone of acid. Long creamy finish. Drink 2010 to 2029. Tasted March 2009.
robert_parker
2002
Rating:
96
–96
The 2002 Cristal is a gorgeous, sculpted wine of extraordinary elegance. Graceful, well-delineated aromatics lead to ripe pears, spices, flowers, minerals and mint in this precise Champagne. Today the 2002 appears to have slightly more fruit than the 1996, and perhaps slightly better overall balance, although that is splitting hairs at this level. The wine remains fresh and in need of several years of cellaring before it hits its stride. In 2002 Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. 20% of the wine was aged in oak, and dosage was 10 grams. This bottle was disgorged in December 2007. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2032.
robert_parker
2002
Rating:
92
–92
Tasted at the IMW Louis Roederer tasting. Disgorged 2008. This has a similar bouquet to the bottle poured in September, candied orange peel, a touch of acacia honey and a little chalk dust. It just seems to lack the vigour and the vivacity of other vintages. The palate has very good weight, concentrated, slightly honeyed fruit, good acidity, hints of sour lemon, lemon sherbet, apricot and a little almond. Very dense, a little tight at the moment, becoming spicier in the glass. Very good length. Overall, better than the showing in September, lighter on its feet, but it needs another year or two in bottle. Drink 2011-2025+ Tasted December 2009.
robert_parker
2002
Rating:
96
–96
Tasted from the original 2009 disgorgement, the 2002 Cristal is a broad, vinous wine, bursting with aromas of honeyed yellow orchard fruit, warm butter, brioche and fresh peaches. On the palate, it's full-bodied, textural and mouthfilling, rendering the fine-boned chalky structure and textural finesse that distinguish this quintessentially elegant style of this cuvée in a broader-shouldered, more enveloping register. The 2002 is beginning to enter its plateau of maturity and is drinking beautifully today, though it still has many years ahead of it.
robert_parker
2002
Rating:
91
–91
Whilst I have always enjoyed the Cristal ’02, it has never “blown me away” and here it is put in its place by the Krug ’96. It retains that smooth, seductive, almond and here, white truffle scented bouquet that is very “cosy”. Yet I would have liked greater vigour. The palate is nicely balanced with soft coconut and white peach notes. There is still that luxuriant feel to this Cristal, but it does not want to put in the effort. Tasted November 2012.
robert_parker
2000
Rating:
95
–95
From a difficult vintage with destructive hailstorms and botrytis, the 2000 Cristal opens with an elegant and delicate bouquet with brioche, ripe apple, green olive and iodine aromas. Complex and very salty, with oyster and umami flavors, this is a generous and very long Cristal that is excellent with Japanese food, such as sashimi for example, as chef de cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon said during the tasting in New York in November 2018.
robert_parker
1999
Rating:
90
–90
A pale lemon hue. A fine, neutral nose developing river stone scents with time, then some fresh green apple and citrus fruits all with outstanding definition. The palate is slightly lower in acidity than I was anticipating, nice fatness in the middle, a touch of viscosity with a more steely finish. It lacks the vibrancy and tension of the Cristal ’96, the finish stern and dry. A lovely champagne no doubt, but it somehow leaves me wanting more. Drink now-2020 Tasted November 2007.
robert_parker
1999
Rating:
90
–90
Tasted at the IMW Louis Roederer tasting. Disgorged January 2006. Clear silvery hue. It has a slightly yeasty, hazelnut and roasted almond scented bouquet, well-defined, perhaps a little muted at the moment. With time, aromas of frangipane, woodland and spice emerge. The palate is relatively toasty on the entry compared to the 2002, light oxidative aromas, walnut and litchi, quite rounded and sensuous towards the finish, good length. A “wine-y” Cristal but very primal. Drink now-2017. Tasted December 2009.
robert_parker
1999
Rating:
90
–90
Tasted in Hong Kong. This is a delightful, if not profound Cristal. The nose is fragrant with similar traits as the bottle poured at the IMW tasting with touches of hazelnut and here, a little corn flour. It is very crisp on the entry with touches of spice, orange sorbet, butter toast and walnut with a harmonious finish that just needs a little more persistency. It remains very primal, so I would afford this at least couple of year’s maturation in bottle. Tasted November 2011.
robert_parker
1999
Rating:
98
–98
One of the finest Champagnes I have ever brought to my lips, the 1999 Cristal bursts from the glass with fresh hazelnut and apple scents. Elegant, deep, and silky-textured, this medium to full-bodied beauty is immensely concentrated, pure, packed with apple flavors, and astoundingly long in the finish. Louis Roederer does not display a disgorgement date or consumer friendly lot number on its non-vintage Brut. This is regrettable as it has consistently been one of the finer bottlings in this category.
Importer: Maison Marques & Domaines USA Inc., Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 286-2000.
robert_parker
1997
Rating:
93
–93
Aromas of crisp stone fruit, tangerine, macadamia nut and fresh bread introduce the 1997 Cristal, a medium to full-bodied, deep and chiseled Champagne that's seamless and vibrant, with fine concentration and a pearly mousse. At least from my cellar, this remains a very youthful wine, and it's clearly one of the "sleeper" vintages of Cristal that is drinking well today.
robert_parker
1996
Rating:
95
–96
Oh, well how can this fail? A very limpid, silvery colour. The nose has opened just a little since this time last year, with a touch of brioche and a faint scent redolent of strawberries and cream. It displays stunning balance on the palate with citrus lemon, crisp apples. Its still very primal, but its the killer poise that gets you. Needs a long time, but how many are going to cellar this for a decade or more? Tasted February 2006.
robert_parker
1996
Rating:
96
–96
The estate’s 1996 Cristal, from a legendary vintage, does not disappoint. Like the 1979, there are elements of austerity that will require some time to sort themselves out, yet the 1996 is an insanely beautiful Cristal loaded with floral, perfumed fruit and vibrant minerality. The wine turns delicate in the glass, yet this is a sublime, fresh Cristal that is in need of further cellaring. In 1996 Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. According to Lecaillon 1996 is a vintage that did not respond well to oak aging, so only 3% of the wine was aged in wood, while 10% of the wine saw malolactic fermentation. This bottle was disgorged in 2007 and dosage was 8 grams. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2026.
robert_parker
1996
Rating:
96
–96
Roederer’s 1996 Cristal is gorgeous. The expressive, floral bouquet melds seamlessly into an expansive palate of sweet fruit. This is an exceptionally polished and finessed Cristal, but like so many vintages, it needs time in bottle, regardless of how rewarding it is today. Even after all of these great 1996s, the Cristal delivers the goods.
robert_parker
1996
Rating:
97
–97
Tasted at the IMW Louis Roederer tasting. Disgorged September 2006. A light silvery hue. The bouquet is still firmly in its first stages of evolution but unfurls in the glass, offering notes of clear honey, acacia, a touch of smoke, a hint of white peach and pink grapefruit. Gaining freshness and intensity with aeration. The palate is beautifully balanced with a bewitching sense of symmetry. Elegant and caressing towards the finish with touches of orange-blossom and apricot. Superb length. Wonderful. Drink now-2025+ Tasted December 2009.
robert_parker
1996
Rating:
96
–96
Even though Cristal is typically very appealing upon release, the truth is that it needs serious cellaring to reveal its pedigree. Several recent bottles have been breathtaking. The aromatics, fruit and acidity are all beautifully woven together in this fabulous Cristal.
robert_parker
1996
Rating:
95
–95
This wine was recommended, but no tasting note was given.
robert_parker
1990
Rating:
97
–97
The Louis Roederer 1990 Cristal is awesome! A classic of power and finesse, richness and delicacy, it may be the greatest Cristal I have ever tasted!
One caveat. Champagne, more than any wine in the world, is extremely vulnerable to heat. Pierre Rovani has already tasted a cooked bottle of this wine. Readers need to be particularly careful when buying Champagne.
Imported by (Maison Marques and Domaines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 286-2000)
robert_parker
1990
Rating:
97
–97
Blending 62% Pinot Noir with 38% Chardonnay, fermented without malolactic and disgorged in 1996 after five years sur lie, the 1990 Cristal is still a superb and amazing prestige Champagne that is far from being over-matured or faded. The wine is as rich as it is pure and finessed, revealing a mineral tension and youthful freshness that is nothing short of stunning given the low-acidity vintage. This proves impressively that substance and terroir matter far more than just acidity. Tasted in May 2018, the 1990 is still fabulous. Even the 1979 Cristal was still excitingly fresh but unfortunately corked.
robert_parker
1990
Rating:
97
–97
The 1990 Cristal is a dramatic, sweeping wine endowed with masses of apricots, peaches, flowers and minerals. A large-scaled Cristal, the 1990 combines size with clarity and focus in a remarkably complete style that recalls the 1982. The wine remains generous on the palate, with stunning length and a finish that lasts forever. The 1990 Cristal is 62% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay. Just a small portion of the wine (7-10%) underwent malolactic fermentation. This bottle was disgorged in late 2007 with 8 grams of dosage. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2023.
robert_parker
1990
Rating:
93
–93
Tasted at the IMW Louis Roederer tasting. Disgorged September 2006. This has a much more mature nose than the 1996, more oxidative and honeyed, with touches of roasted walnut, white peach, a touch of wild mushroom and Kaffir lime. Good definition. With time there is a touch of tangerine and lime cordial. The palate has a rounded entry, a touch of spice and a tang of fresh ginger. Good weight, but it does not have the same tautness and complexity as the ’96. But it is a generous Cristal, a bit of a femme fatale and it lingers beautifully on the palate. Drink now-2015. Tasted December 2009.
robert_parker
1988
Rating:
94
–94
The 1988 is a strapping, powerful Cristal. Ripe tropical fruit, butter, spices and smoke are some of the nuances that emerge from this energetic, focused Champagne. This is a rather monolithic Cristal that lacks the elegance of the finest vintages. The 1988 Cristal is unique in that it is the only vintage in which Chardonnay, at 55%, plays the dominant role in the blend. 1988 was a cool year and picking stretched into October. The late harvest largely favored Chardonnay over Pinot Noir. According to Lecaillon, the lesson learned in 1988 was that the estate needed to seriously lower yields on the Pinot in order to achieve proper ripeness. The wine was partially fermented in oak (25%) and 30% of the Pinot Noir underwent malolactic fermentation. This bottle was disgorged in late 2007, and dosage was 8 grams, quite a bit lower than is the norm these days. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019.
robert_parker
1988
Rating:
93
–93
Tasted at the IMW Louis Roederer tasting. Disgorged September 2006. The nose is very rich and developing, perhaps lacking a little definition and vigour, with dried apricot nectarine, mushroom/truffle and a touch of nutmeg. The palate is medium-bodied, much more vigorous than the nose suggests, well balanced with some lovely honeyed/tangerine notes, almost viscous in texture towards the finish that is driven by the higher proportion of Chardonnay. Not quite as compelling as the Krug ’88 and perhaps let down rather by the bouquet, the palate goes a long way to compensate. Mellow and seductive. Tasted December 2009.
robert_parker
1988
Rating:
95
–95
No tasting note.
robert_parker
1988
Rating:
92
–92
No Specific Tasting Note
robert_parker
1986
Rating:
94
–94
No tasting note.
robert_parker
1986
Rating:
94
–94
No tasting note.
robert_parker
1985
Rating:
93
–93
No tasting note.
robert_parker
1985
Rating:
93
–93
No tasting note.
vinous
2004
Rating:
98
–98
Still a baby, the 2004 Cristal Rosé has begun to put on considerable weight over the last few years, which only serves to balance the focus and tension that have always been present. Even at eleven years of age, the 2004 Cristal Rosé remains tightly wound and a touch austere at times. Hints of orange peel, white pepper and cranberry add an exotic flair on the deeply expressive finish. Readers who can find the 2004 should not hesitate, as it is simply stunning by any measure.
vinous
2004
Rating:
94
–94
The 2004 Cristal Rosé, from magnum, is less expressive than the Cristal. Today it is too soon to tell how much of that may be attributable to the larger format. The 2004 Cristal Rosé is 70% Pinot from Aÿ and 30% Chardonnay from Avize. This remains a very tight, mineral-driven Cristal Rosé that will require significant bottle age. A final burst of floral red berries on the finish bodes well for the future. Today I prefer the Cristal over the Cristal Rosé, but time will ultimately tell how these wines develop. I recently tasted the 1996s and it is now appears the Rosé has moved ahead, if very slightly, from the Cristal. The 2004 Cristal Rosé was disgorged in December 2009 and dosage was 9 grams per liter.
vinous
2006
Rating:
98
–98
One of the highlights in this tasting, the 2006 Cristal Rosé is simply stunning. A vertical, towering wine, the 2006 Cristal Rosé is a thrill a minute, with a compelling interplay of aromatics and exquisitely layered fruit, all supported by a real feeling of phenolic intensity. While the 2007 is seductive, the 2006 is virile and imposing, with the statuesque lift of a Giacometti sculpture. All the elements meld together in a complete, alluring Champagne that will continue to drink beautifully for many decades. In 2006, the Pinot Noir was already being farmed biodynamically, while the Chardonnay was still under conversion.
vinous
2007
Rating:
97
–97
The 2007 Cristal Rosé opens with the most captivating, extraordinary bouquet imaginable. Sweet, exquisite and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2007 is intense yet weightless, with extraordinary overall balance and remarkable finesse. Today, the 2007 Cristal Rosé is a wine of pure seduction. There is little doubt the 2007 is a great Cristal Rosé in the making. This is the first vintage in which all of the fruit was farmed according to biodynamic principles. According to winemaker Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, biodynamic farming has brought increased aromatic presence in the fruit and also given the Pinot a bit more intensity than normal, so much so that in 2007 the blend is 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay as opposed to the 60/40 split that has been more typical over the years. In 2007, the fruit was picked in August, which is also unusual, but bud break got off to an early start, so the growing season turned out to be longer than the classic 100-day period that is typical from bud-break to harvest. All of that means the 2007 Cristal Rosé is a much more classic-feeling wine that one might have expected.
vinous
2008
Rating:
99
–99
As a group, the 2008 Champagnes are focused and tightly wound. The 2008 Cristal Rosé has plenty of those qualities, but what places it in a truly rarified category is its sheer depth and verticality. Vinous, powerful and resonant, the 2008 Cristal Rosé has more than enough stuffing to support decades of cellaring. For starters, it won’t be ready to drink for another 5-10 years. This is a positively monumental, towering Champagne from Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon and his team.
vinous
2008
Rating:
99
–99
The 2008 Cristal Rosé is all tension, nuance and class. Fresh and utterly brilliant, the 2008 bristles on the palate with pure pedigree. In the glass, the 2008 is at once translucent, weightless and powerful. Readers should be in no hurry to drink the 2008, a wine that will age effortlessly for many, many decades to come.
vinous
2009
Rating:
97
–97
A wine of sublime delicacy and finesse, the 2009 Cristal Rosé is simply magnificent. The 2009 is surprisingly refined, silky and nuanced for a wine from a warm vintage. The red and floral-infused overtones are quite attractive, but it is the wine's exceptional balance that places it among the best new releases of the year. Over the years, I have had the chance to taste many vintages of Cristal Rosé, a Champagne that needs bottle age to be at its very best. I suspect that will be the case here as well. Don't miss it.
vinous
2009
Rating:
94
–96
The 2009 Cristal Rosé is simply fabulous. It is shaping up to be an explosive, kaleidoscopic Champagne loaded with sumptuous fruit. The balance and pedigree here are simply mind-bending. In 2009 Cristal Rosé is 60% Pinot Noir from Aÿ and 40% Chardonnay from Mesnil and Avize. Not a bad combination! Approximately 12% of the wine was aged in oak. This will be a fascinating Champagne to follow in the coming years and decades.
vinous
2012
Rating:
98
–98
The 2012 Cristal Rosé is magnificent. When Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon started to move Roederer towards organically farmed fruit, he started with Cristal Rosé, Roederer’s smallest production cuveé. Because of that, Cristal Rosé is the wine in this range that shows the current Roederer style in its fullest expression. Rich, vivid and crystalline in the glass, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a Champagne of tremendous gravitas. Chalk, white flowers, sweet red berry fruit, mint and blood orange are all beautifully delineated. The 2012 is 55% Pinot from Ay and 45% Chardonnay from Mesnil and Avize. The Pinot fruit gets a 7-10 day cold soak an is the infused into the fermenting Chardonnay musts. Readers who can find the 2012 should not hesitate, as it is truly magical. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.
vinous
2013
Rating:
98
–98
The 2013 Cristal Rosé is searingly intense right out of the glass, just like the Blanc, except it has a bit more fleshiness because of the skin contact on the Pinot. Cristal Rosé has one of the best track records for aging in Champagne. I suspect the 2013 will join the ranks of the epic vintages, but it is painfully tight today. The blend is 55% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ) and 45% Chardonnay (from Avize and Mesnil) done in the classic Roederer infusion style in which Pinot Noir is vinified on the skins and then blended with Chardonnay to complete the fermentation. About 25% of the lots were done in oak, while malolactic fermentation was blocked. (Originally published in May 2021)
vinous
2013
Rating:
98
–98
The 2013 Cristal Rosé is searingly intense right out of the glass, just like the Blanc, except it has a bit more fleshiness because of the skin contact on the Pinot. Cristal Rosé has one of the best track records for aging in Champagne. I suspect the 2013 will join the ranks of the epic vintages, but it is painfully tight today. The blend is 55% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ) and 45% Chardonnay (from Avize and Mesnil) done in the classic Roederer infusion style in which Pinot Noir is vinified on the skins and then blended with Chardonnay to complete the fermentation. About 25% of the lots were done in oak, while malolactic fermentation was blocked.
vinous
2014
Rating:
97
–97
The 2014 Cristal Rosé sizzles with energy. Finely cut and crystalline to the core, the 2014 is laced with striking vibrancy. Chalk, mint, white flowers, cranberry and blood orange all race across the palate. Deceptively understated and nuanced, the 2014 possesses tons of energy and captivating inner perfume. The 2014 is at the beginning of what is sure to be a very long life. I would not plan on opening a bottle for at least a few years. The style of the vintage is one built on linear intensity more than opulence, like say 2004, with captivating aromatics and a sort of inner tension that needs to resolve. As always, the Rosé is done in the classic Roederer infusion style in which Pinot Noir is vinified on the skins and then blended with Chardonnay to complete the fermentation. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: June 2022.Cristal Rosé is a much smaller production made from just three parcels. Here, the preference is for riper Pinot from the Bonnotte-Pierre-Robert lieu-dit in Aÿ, macerated for about a week and then infused into Chardonnays from Montmartin in Mesnil-sur-Oger and Pierre Vaudon in Avize. Naturally, this approach requires parcels that ripen in a very specific sequence. Here, too, there is no malolactic fermentation. Oak is about 15% for the Rosé, lower than the Blanc.
vinous
2014
Rating:
98
–98
The 2014 Cristal Rosé sizzles with energy. Finely cut and crystalline to the core, the 2014 is laced with striking vibrancy. Chalk, mint, white flowers, cranberry and blood orange all race across the palate. Deceptively understated and nuanced, the 2014 possesses tons of energy and captivating inner perfume. The 2014 is at the beginning of what is sure to be a very long life. I would not plan on opening a bottle for at least a few years. The style of the vintage is one built on linear intensity more than opulence, like say 2004, with captivating aromatics and a sort of inner tension that needs to resolve. As always, the Rosé is done in the classic Roederer infusion style in which Pinot Noir is vinified on the skins and then blended with Chardonnay to complete the fermentation. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: June 2022.
robert_parker
2009
Rating:
96
–96
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.
robert_parker
1996
Rating:
98
–98
The 1996 Cristal Rose is an intensely-flavored Champagne with an unusually light pale salmon color. Its effervescence is restrained (almost non-existent), but the flavors are intense in this dry, austere, provocative offering. An outrageously great, singularly-styled rose Champagne, it is best served with intensely-flavored food. It is a tour de force in Champagne to enjoy over the next 7-10 years. Louis Roederer does not display a disgorgement date or consumer friendly lot number on its non-vintage Brut. This is regrettable as it has consistently been one of the finer bottlings in this category.
Importer: Maison Marques & Domaines USA Inc., Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 286-2000.
