5 in stock
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Main grapes | |
| Other grapes | |
| Vintage | |
| Bottle sizes | |
| Viticulture |
Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal is Roederer’s flagship, luxury cuvée Champagne.
Established in 1776, Champagne Louis Roederer is one of the few remaining completely independent, family-owned Champagne houses. By 1886, the House had achieved such a reputation for quality that the second Louis Roederer was asked by Tsar Alexander II to create Cristal for the exclusive use of the Russian Tsars, and in so doing created the first Cuvée de Prestige.
Champagne Louis Roederer owns just over 200 hectares of vineyards located in the finest areas of Champagne – Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs. Each vineyard is situated in the finest sites, with the plots ranking between 95% and 100% on the Echelle des Crus. This makes Roederer self-sufficient for 100% of its vintage styles, and provides two-thirds of its production for Brut Premier. Such a high proportion of estate grapes is very unusual in Champagne, and ensures superior quality at all stages from grape to glass.
Cristal is made exclusively from grapes grown in Louis Roederer’s Grand Crus vineyards, from 45 “lieux-dits”. The Pinot Noir comes from the villages of Verzenay, Verzy, Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ; and the Chardonnay from Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize, Cramant and Oger.
The oldest vineyards with the deepest root systems are selected to make Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal; they produce lower yields, more concentration and aromatic wines with high maturity and high acidity.
A percentage of the wines are matured in oak casks with weekly batonnage. There is no malolactic fermentation. The wines undergo an average of five years maturation in cellars and rest eight months on the cork after disgorgement to perfect their maturity.
Each bottle of Cristal has a flat bottom and clear glass because the Tsar was worried about someone placing explosives in the punt or of being poisoned by his enemies. In this way, it was easier to see if the bottle had been tampered with in any way. The iconic yellow cellophane wrapper was added later to protect the wine from sunlight.
From Roederer:
Intense, bright and luminous golden hue. Dynamic effervescence with a continuous stream of fine bubbles. Intense, fragrant bouquet of great purity. Concentrated and candied citrus fruit mingle delicately with notes of grain and lightly roasted almonds. The lovely sensation of big ripe fruit is balanced and lifted by energetic fresh tangy overtones. Fruity palate with a silky texture, complemented by soft bubbles that are perfectly integrated and deliciously elegant. The purity and perfection of the ripe yellow fruit melt into the intense chalky freshness, typical of Cristal, that is both powdery and saline. Dense, juicy, concentrated and long on the mid-palate, thanks to the spicy and sappy structure resulting from partial ageing in large oak vats (foudres). The finish builds to a crescendo, revealing a rich grainy and velvety texture that is wrapped in a long, saline and superbly elegant finish.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.