A smoldering flintiness on the nose is astonishing, giving the impression of incredible youthfulness in the first few moments of smelling the wine. Little hints of evolution appear only slowly, with notions of smoky, briny oyster shell and lemon confit. The palate is super-sleek but expands into chalky depths, lemon-scented, with immense saltiness and the finest, tiniest bubbles. Somehow, the initial tautness just relaxes, melts into creaminess in a lasting and somehow deeply satisfying fashion that rings long. Sipped again, the wine’s precision and linearity become ever clearer, plumbing coolest, oceanic, chalky depths. Its sense of youthfulness is mind-boggling.

“The 2014 Cristal Rosé is fascinating to taste next to the 2015 and a few older vintages, as it is decidedly linear and taut, signatures that are typical of the year. Cranberry, chalk, mint, white pepper and blood orange are all finely sculpted. This is an especially fine showing. I imagine the 2014 will flesh out beautifully with time in bottle. It's not an immediate Cristal Rosé, but more of a long distance runner. Readers should be in no rush here. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged: February 2024.”

The 2004 Cristal Rosé Vinothèque (magnum) is another stellar wine in this series of releases from Roederer. Exotic spice, blood orange, red-toned fruit and dried flowers all grace the palate. As good as the 2004 is, I find the aromatics not totally in place at this stage. This may need more time. Today I prefer the Blanc Vinothèque to the Rosé. Perhaps the high yields of the vintage were easier to address in the blending of Cristal than they were for the Rosé. I hope to have a chance to taste this again. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged: June 2019.

This is green-gold and bright, the aroma ripe and generous, with hints of mango and honeysuckle garlanding the citric core, fulsome in deference to a very sunny year. The palate is mealy, creamy, and rich, the combination of élevage in sandstone and predominantly new barrels forging an impressive structure, which will need a little more time to settle. The region has ensured, however, that there is plentiful acidity and a rich, chalky substratum that will underwrite the quality ofthe evolution. 

There’s lots of tension and focus to this version, with the fine, pointillisme-like bead dancing a graceful foxtrot on the palate, carrying tropical hints of passion fruit coulis and blood orange granita along with an overtone of oyster shell and accents of pickled ginger and anise. This is lacy on the finish, with a salty undertow coming to the fore to create a lingering, mouthwatering impression.