Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal Vinotheque
Champagne, France
Vintage:1996 (Past)
1995 (Past) | 1997 (Past) | 1999 (Past) | 2000 (Past) | 2002 (Current)
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Reviews
The Wine Advocate
96 Points
March 5, 2020, William Kelley
“The 1996 Cristal Vinothéque spent 10 years sur lattes and four years sur pointe (for an explanation of those terms, readers are directed to the accompanying article) before disgorgement. Opening in the glass with a complex bouquet of dried fruits, honeycomb, fresh butter, lemon oil, spices and smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and integrated, its racy spine of vintage-typical acidity elegantly cloaked in crisp but fleshy fruit, with terrific concentration and a long, precise finish. Incisive and powerful, this is a 1996 Champagne that has turned out very well indeed.”
Wine Enthusiast
100 Points, #74 Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2019
December 1, 2019, Roger Voss
“A re-release from one of the legendary vintages of the last 30 years, this Champagne still shows some of the intense acidity that marked that year. It has gained maturity, but it's an ageless, magnificent wine. Although it is ready to drink, it will hold well through 2029.”
JamesSuckling.com
99 Points
September 5, 2018, James Suckling
“The wine starts with attractive, reductive, toasty aromas, then freshens with air to offer fresh flowers and very fine lime peel and lemon pith, as well as grapefruit and yellow plums. The palate has an intense, fine and fresh feel with super long, lemon and lime flavors, together with subtle, nutty moments that will build with time on cork. Then, a late, spicy edge and super tart, mouthwatering grapefruit. Seemingly endless length and potential. Kept on the lees for its entire life and disgorged in 2012. Dosage of 7g using 1996 wine - as pure as possible. A must for every collector of great Champagne.”
Vinous Media
98 Points
July 2018, Antonio Galloni
“The 1996 Cristal Vinothèque is a magnificent, towering Champagne. Bright and yet deep, with tremendous flavor intensity, the 1996 is a real stunner. The flavors are remarkably pure and crystalline, with tons of energy that gives the citrus and floral character its vibrancy. I have been fortunate to taste the 1996 a few times in the past. This is its best showing yet. The 1996 Cristal Vinothèque spent ten years on its lees, flat (sur latte), and another four years upside down (sur pointe), the first period to get a slight oxygenation, and the second to bring the wine back into a slightly reductive state. Dosage is 7 grams per liter, using a custom liqueur made from bottled wine and liqueur, as opposed to the Cristal from cask that is used for the first release of Cristal and Cristal Rosé.”
Overview
Cristal Vinothèque 1996 celebrates the astonishing story of a very small number of bottles, stored in the Louis Roederer cellars for 20 years in the quest for perfect harmony. The 1996 vintage is the reflection of this very classic year in Champagne. The weather conditions created an exceptionally elegant wine structured by a lovely acidity and remarkable aromatic complexity. Its perfectly balanced maturity and well-integrated flavours have been brought out even further by the Côte des Blancs Chardonnays and a small proportion of Pinots noirs grown in chalky soil.
Winemaking
This cuvée is bottle-aged for 10 years before being left to rest for a further 10 years after disgorging.
Tasting Notes
Bright and clear with a golden yellow hue and delicate amber tints. Fine, delicate mousse forming tight bubbles in the glass. The bouquet is remarkably intense, lively, concentrated and complex. The nose opens with fruity aromas which is unusual for a 22-year-old wine: ripe pear and apple, apricot, zesty notes of candied lemon, yuzu and orange peel. After aeration the aromas evolve to hot stone, chalk, smoke, mocha, hazelnut and fresh pastries.
On the palate the wine is concentrated with a rich, almost oily, texture that continues on to the mid-palate thanks to the wine’s chalky, saline freshness. The texture becomes more pronounced with a powdery minerality on the tongue. The finish is lively, saline and very long.
Harvest Notes
After a cold, grey winter, 1996 was characterised by low rainfall throughout the growing cycle. This drought caused all of the Champagne varietals, especially the Chardonnay, to produce small grapes. This resulted in low yields which aided ripening and fruit concentration. September was relatively cool yet very sunny, with a few rainy spells which enabled the grapes to ripen well and develop high levels of sugar and acidity. The traditional grape tasting at harvest time astonished us all as, in addition to the excellent sugar-acidity balance, we had small, concentrated berries with an aromatic maturity rarely seen in Champagne. All of the criteria for a “vintage” year were confirmed on the 21 September when harvesting began.
Technical Information
Varietals: 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay