Louis Roederer Cristal

Tatler Champagne Guide 2024-2025

Grape Makeup:

60% Pinot Noir; 40% Chardonnay

Sweetness Level:

Brut

Ageing on Lees:

Six and a half years

Price:

$$$$

Cellar:

Ten+ years

Category:

Collectible

What

The maison was founded in 1776 and renamed for Louis Roederer in 1833 when he inherited the house from his uncle. Another strong contender for the greatest house in Champagne, Roederer is almost a grower estate with an unusually high percentage of its grapes coming from its vineyards.

Where

Reims: 240ha of estate vineyards spread across the region, all Grands or Premiers Crus. All vintage wines are made exclusively from estate fruit. 115ha are now certified organic, but the whole estate is farmed using organic and biodynamic practices.

Why

Cristal is the perfectly named, legendary cuvée created for Tsar Alexander II, bottled in clear glass with no punt so that would-be assassins could not conceal an explosive. The only explosion today is on the palate, with an almost shrill aromatic profile and stark, limestone-influenced structure. Though the blend is Pinot-dominant and the 2015 vintage was a scorcher, the sharp malic character (no MLF takes place) makes this feel like the raciest, sleekest Blanc de Blancs at present.

What Else

The 2015 Brut Nature, a collaboration with Philippe Starck, is possibly even more austere than the Cristal, despite coming entirely from the warmer village of Cumières in the Grande Vallée, all iodine, oyster shells and sour cream at present. The latest NV release, Collection 244, is based on the similarly hot, arid 2019 vintage and also displays an almost metallic austerity, like the inside of a chalk pit, possibly thanks to the ever-increasing levels of Chardonnay in the blend.

Tasting Notes

Bright very nearly to the point of shrillness, the 2015 opens with a flash of horseradish that leaps out of the glass with verbena and yuzu and just a hint of white pepper. The mousse remains quite forceful on the entry, amplifying the acidity, which is already potent. The fruit has a stark malic quality, like biting into the tartest green apple, with a firm layer of wet clay that gives it a sophisticated mineral edge. Yeastiness on the finish remains in this herbal-earthy, spa-like register rather than becoming overtly toasty. Acidity sings through the finish, which has the most sensuous powdery texture.

Try It With

A refined multi-course tempura feast

When To Drink

Chilled entrées

Perfect For

Your friend who lives like a Tsar or Tsarina

Tatler Tip

Keep this bottle in its amber cellophane until you're ready to go

TL/DR

Assertive, stark and reverberant

Supplier

Link Concept