Celebrating 50 years of Cristal Rosé
<< A precious and rare masterpiece, Cristal Rosé reflects the light of its soil and captures all the delicacy of a fragrance with dense, concentrated scents >>
Crafted from four plots of Grands Crus, Cristal Rosé is the ultimate masterpiece of Champagne Louis Roederer, containing the essence of a great chalk terroir. Created by Jean-Claude Rouzaud in 1974, this fine champagne brings us the purest expression of the chalk, creating energy, a captivating presence and ultimate finesse: the complete mastery of a champagne that is as fabulous as a fine perfume.
The Quest for Ultimate Finesse - An emanation of Cristal, this iconic champagne pushes the boundaries of fragrance, energy and texture, taking concentration and finesse to new levels.
After creating the first Cristal Rosé blend with the 1974 harvest, Jean-Claude Rouzaud laid the foundations for a long evolution, introducing a daring method known as “infusion" that uses a combination of maceration and blending methods. The Chardonnay juices are added to a maceration of Pinot noir grapes which then ferment together.
The fragrance of Cristal Rosé is subtle yet masterful, offering a bouquet that is as enchanting as it is refined. Each sip reveals layers of complexity, exemplifying the great skill and mastery of the winemaking team.
Half A Century Has Passed - Since 1974, the Cristal Rosé cuvée has gone through 50 years of innovation, evolution and transformation, "re-enchanted" each time. Today, it is a very fine champagne in which the chalk is at its purest, combined with a gentle infusion to create a unique energy, refinement and a powdery texture of ultimate finesse.
Fresh and extremely precise, Cristal Rosé reveals a complex spectrum of flavours ranging from wild peaches to wild berries. It is a silky, ethereal wine of great aromatic purity with hints of stone and red fruit, a piercing salinity and a captivating silkiness: a virtuoso Champagne that radiates tension and truth.
Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé (Giftbox) - (2013 vintage, Wine Advocate) 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.
