Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé Vinotheque

Champagne, France

Vintage:1995 (Past)

1996 (Past) | 1999 (Past) | 2002 (Current)

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Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé Vinotheque 1995
  • JS 100
  • WE 97
  • WA 97

Reviews

Wine Enthusiast 97 Points December 1, 2018, Roger Voss

“This magnificent wine celebrates the enormous aging potential of a great Champagne. It is still full of bright red fruits and tense minerality, with only a hint of maturity. While nearing its peak for enjoyment, let it breathe before drinking.”

JamesSuckling.com 100 Points September 5, 2018, James Suckling

“Very complete and very complex, offering well integrated, ripe pinot-noir fruit with an array of sweet flowers, ripe cherries and wet chalk. A gently sapid fruit texture on the palate, as well as composed, smooth and seamless textural charm. Beautiful balance of sweet fruit and acidity here. Very long, the soft, sweet tannins holding a darker, nutty finish. In a great drinking zone now.”

The Wine Advocate 97 Points June 29, 2018, Stephan Reinhardt

“Originally released in 2002, the 1995 Cristal Vinothèque Rosé was aged on the lees for 14 years and was disgorged in 2010 with a lower dosage than the original Cristal Rosé (seven to eight grams per liter). Released in November 2017, the blend of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay shows a pale hint of color and opens with rich red fruit along with floral notes on the subtly layered nose. On the palate, this is a rich, round and voluptuous yet elegant Rosé with a mouth-filling texture, very good freshness and even purity in the complex, tensioned, very persistent and mineral finish. Tasted in Reims in May 2018.”

Overview

Cristal Vinothèque 1995 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 1995 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. The dosage is 8 g/l.

Tasting Notes

Light pink hue flecked with copper tints. Fine, elegant sparkle. The nose is both delicate and intense, a kaleidoscope of fresh fruit (strawberry, vineyard peach and Morello cherry) and dried fruit and nuts with hints of lightly roasted chestnut. Fruit still dominates after a few minutes (blackcurrant and raspberry) and is joined, this time, by light resinous and iodized notes, typical of autolysis in champagne. The palate is delicate, fresh and finely wrought. It begins with an explosion of citrus (blood orange, tangerine and yuzu) in a coating of sweet, juicy fruit reminiscent of gingerbread and honey. The chalky and saline freshness traces out a precise, slender chassis and gives the impression of great elegance. The finish is fuller, with a firm structure, punctuated by notes of citrus peel.

Technical Information

Varietals: 62% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay

Fermentation: No malolactic fermentation