Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal
Champagne, France
Vintage:2015 (Current)
2002 (Past) | 2002 Late Release (Past) | 2004 (Past) | 2006 (Past) | 2007 (Past) | 2008 (Past) | 2009 (Past) | 2012 (Past) | 2013 (Past) | 2014 (Past) | 2016 (Pending)
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Reviews
Wine Enthusiast 98 Points, Cellar Selection
“From vineyards that are run organically, this iconic Champagne’s latest iteration is as beautiful as ever. Textured, with a mineral undertow, the wine is just beginning to soften and show a balanced maturity. Drink this great wine now.”
Wine Spectator 96 Points, Collectibles
“This mouthwatering Champagne has an ethereal quality, with a frame of chiseled acidity and focused precision to the pointillisme-like, vibrant mousse. Yet this shows depth and generous expression, with the finely spun notes of patisserie apple and blackberry fruit opening beautifully on the palate and through the minerally finish, with notes of grated ginger, blood orange granita, salted Marcona almond and anise. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2035.”
JamesSuckling.com 97 Points
“For the warm and dry vintage this has tremendous freshness and elegance. The complex nose of citrus blossom, mint, lemon and lime zest opens up slowly as this aerates in the glass. The wine’s ample structure is still quite firm, which is a vintage characteristic, the mousse very fine but also very lively for an eight-year-old champagne. Cristal fans will love this as it is, but a year or two more in the bottle will do a lot for the very long mineral finish of this youthful masterpiece. A cuvee of 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay, picked from all 45 Cristal vineyard plots. Tasted at the Cristal vertical tasting at the champagne house on July 6th, 2023. Drink from release.”
The Wine Advocate 95+ Points
“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.”
The Wine Independent 98 Points
“The 2015 Cristal is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. No malo-lactic was employed, and 25% wine was aged in oak. The dosage is 7 grams per liter. An exquisitely delicate yet complex perfume of clover honey, freshly shaved ginger, marzipan, and jasmine slowly emerges from the nose, giving way to a core of pear tart, persimmons, and apple butter. The palate is an exercise in finesse, featuring very fine bubbles and fantastic intensity with a myriad of spice and floral nuances, finishing with impressive persistence and jaw-dropping poise. This is a style for those that embrace purity, soft-spoken expression, and impeccable crafting. It won't disappoint those who love Champagne in its initial youthful perfume flushes, yet will undoubtedly reward the patient with a richer, toastier, more obvious and opulent style with 5-10 years+ of cellaring.”
Decanter 95 Points
“An open and inviting nose references cream, oatmeal and Amalfi lemon with the slightest edge of smoke. The palate immediately strikes with a mouthwatering lemon ripeness and a juicy, mouthfilling generosity reminiscent of yellow plum. It stays true to the trademark sleekness of Cristal and speaks of the concentration of 2015. Fine mousse accentuates the fullness and roundness of the wine while the long finish hints at chalky depth which, for now, is dominated by ripe stone fruit and more of that textured, rich notion of oatmeal. Definitely a Cristal to enjoy soon.”
Vinous Media 96 Points
“I have tasted the 2015 Cristal three times so far - once as part of an extensive vertical I will be reporting on shortly, and then later in my office. Those tastings paint a portrait of a complex Champagne that is still finding its center. Tasted at the maison, the 2015 is rich, dense and explosive, with tremendous textural intensity and also a good bit of energy to back it up. Citrus confit, spice, ginger, chalk and dried flowers abound in a Champagne endowed with tremendous aromatic presence in a style that offers notable richness, but lighter than vintages such as 2012. There is a bit of the savoriness that is such a signature of the year, but it is nicely integrated in the wine’s fabric. Two later tastings in my office strongly suggest the 2015 has already started to shut down a bit, which is a shame, as it may be hard to read for some time to come. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: November 2022.”
Overview
Forged by a chalky soil unlike any other and honed by time, Cristal is Louis Roederer’s flagship champagne. Created in 1876 at the special request of Tsar Alexander II, this exceptional champagne is sourced from 45 plots located in seven Grands Crus vineyards spanning the Montagne de Reims, the Marne Valley and the Côte des Blancs. It is only produced in years when the grapes have reached perfect maturity.
This bright, powdery and chalky champagne is the product of time and the fruit of a haute couture artisanal viticulture in which eco-friendly practices, biodynamic composts and respect for living organisms are the only rules. Cristal is a drinking experience unlike any other. It is crafted in a manner that will allow it to reveal itself very gradually over time, growing ever more glorious with every passing year, gaining in depth, finesse and aromatic complexity.
Winemaking
Cristal 2015 is composed of grapes sourced from 45 "lieux-dits" in Verzenay, Verzy, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Ay, Avize, Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Cramant. 25% of the wines are vinified in oak. No malolactic fermentation. The dosage is 7 g/L.
Tasting Notes
Deep yellow hue with a lustrous sheen. Ultra-fine, dynamic bubbles. Intense, concentrated bouquet of yellow fruit (white peach, mirabelle plum) combined with a delicious concentrated toastiness in the form of roasted hazelnut and almond aromas. Perfect, seamless and complex marriage of the almond, wheat and sweet pollen notes from the Chardonnay with the juicy red fruit of the Pinot noir. Concentrated, energetic and vibrant on the palate, starting out as a silky, almost oily, caress, with soft flavors of candied citrus and iodised spices. Then the powdery texture becomes tauter and the pure, precise and chiselled freshness crescendos. The salivating finish is underpinned by slightly oaky, sappy and saline notes that create a simultaneous sensation of delicacy and concentration!
Harvest Notes
An extraordinary vintage which is also the year in which the Champagne region was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site! 2015 followed the continental trend of that decade: a mild, wet winter and a hot, dry summer. The summer, hot and sunny, brought record-breaking temperatures and water stress. The second half of August brought some very welcome rain, giving the vines some much needed relief. Thanks to this fresh finish, the vines produced juicy, ripe and concentrated grapes. Our ambition for this vintage? To capture the concentration which is the hallmark of this spectacular vintage!
Technical Information
Varietals: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
Harvest Start Date: September 7, 2015
Harvest End Date: September 20, 2015