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2018 Louis Roederer - Champagne Brut Cristal (750ml)
Louis Roederer
SKU 105484

2018 Louis Roederer - Champagne Brut Cristal (750ml)

$299.00 - $299.00
$299.00
$299.00 - $299.00
$299.00
Availability:
Only 6 left!

Founded in 1776 and renamed Louis Roederer in 1833, this Reims house remains independent and family-owned, now led by seventh-generation Frédéric Rouzaud. Cristal was created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II, who asked for a cuvée in a clear, flat-bottomed crystal bottle to guard against tampering. Often called the first prestige cuvée, it was first sold commercially in 1945.

The 2018 growing season was hot and dry, so chef de cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon widened the selection to 57 parcels, including plots new to Cristal, in search of freshness. The blend is 57 percent Pinot Noir and 43 percent Chardonnay from biodynamically farmed estate vines in villages including Verzenay, Aÿ, Avize, Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Cramant. It was made without malolactic fermentation, with 72 percent vinified in stainless steel and 28 percent in wood, and finished with 7 grams per liter of dosage.

Cristal 2018 opens with nectarine, citron, orange blossom, and pollen, with subtle smoky and vanilla touches. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, chalk, and herbs unfold on a linear, energetic palate, where lemony, saline freshness meets a powdery texture and a chalky, mineral finish.

98+ Points
"The 2018 Cristal opens a new chapter for Roederer. The Cristal estate
is composed of 45 parcels. In better vintages, most of the 45 parcels
are used for the blend. The 2018 vintage brought with it elevated
ripeness and generally low acids. Longtime Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste
Lécaillon was forced to cast his gaze wider, to look for parcels that
offered a touch of freshness. Lécaillon expanded his palette to 57
parcels. The result is a Cristal unlike any other I have tasted. Orchard
fruit, dried flowers, spice, chalk and herbs are some of the many notes
that take shape in the glass. Floral and savory overtones are quite
distinctive. Lécaillon reduced oak ferments, racked very quickly after
fermentation and used all his best Chardonnay lots for Cristal, so much
so that there is no Blanc de Blancs. He bottled earlier than normal and
chose a crown capsule with a liner that allows less oxygen transfer
than the norm here. Taken together, those choices paid off
handsomely. In tasting, the 2018 is positively stunning. Its linear energy
and brilliance are a bit reminiscent of the 2014, but its flavor profile is
completely different from any Cristal I can remember tasting. Dosage is
7 grams per liter"
—Antonio Galloni-Vinous Media
Appellation: Champagne
Vintage: 2018
Region: Champagne
Country: France
Bottle Size: 750ml
Producer: Louis Roederer
Louis Roederer

Founded in 1776 and renamed Louis Roederer in 1833, this Reims house remains independent and family-owned, now led by seventh-generation Frédéric Rouzaud. Cristal was created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II, who asked for a cuvée in a clear, flat-bottomed crystal bottle to guard against tampering. Often called the first prestige cuvée, it was first sold commercially in 1945.

The 2018 growing season was hot and dry, so chef de cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon widened the selection to 57 parcels, including plots new to Cristal, in search of freshness. The blend is 57 percent Pinot Noir and 43 percent Chardonnay from biodynamically farmed estate vines in villages including Verzenay, Aÿ, Avize, Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Cramant. It was made without malolactic fermentation, with 72 percent vinified in stainless steel and 28 percent in wood, and finished with 7 grams per liter of dosage.

Cristal 2018 opens with nectarine, citron, orange blossom, and pollen, with subtle smoky and vanilla touches. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, chalk, and herbs unfold on a linear, energetic palate, where lemony, saline freshness meets a powdery texture and a chalky, mineral finish.

98+ Points
"The 2018 Cristal opens a new chapter for Roederer. The Cristal estate
is composed of 45 parcels. In better vintages, most of the 45 parcels
are used for the blend. The 2018 vintage brought with it elevated
ripeness and generally low acids. Longtime Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste
Lécaillon was forced to cast his gaze wider, to look for parcels that
offered a touch of freshness. Lécaillon expanded his palette to 57
parcels. The result is a Cristal unlike any other I have tasted. Orchard
fruit, dried flowers, spice, chalk and herbs are some of the many notes
that take shape in the glass. Floral and savory overtones are quite
distinctive. Lécaillon reduced oak ferments, racked very quickly after
fermentation and used all his best Chardonnay lots for Cristal, so much
so that there is no Blanc de Blancs. He bottled earlier than normal and
chose a crown capsule with a liner that allows less oxygen transfer
than the norm here. Taken together, those choices paid off
handsomely. In tasting, the 2018 is positively stunning. Its linear energy
and brilliance are a bit reminiscent of the 2014, but its flavor profile is
completely different from any Cristal I can remember tasting. Dosage is
7 grams per liter"
—Antonio Galloni-Vinous Media
Appellation: Champagne
Vintage: 2018
Region: Champagne
Country: France
Bottle Size: 750ml
Producer: Louis Roederer