Louis Roederer Cristal Rose 2013 Champagne

"Intense, refreshing, and exceptionally precise, the bouquet reveals
a comprehensive and complex range of flavours—the ensemble is silky,
full-bodied, luscious, and light, with a wonderful aromatic purity." - Master Distiller

In 1974, 100 years after the creation of Cristal, Jean-Claude Rouzaud decided to create the Cristal Rosé cuvée. To achieve this, he selected old-vine Pinot noir grapes from the finest Grand Cru vineyards at Aÿ, which are now cultivated according to biodynamic principles. The unique calcareous clay soil, which gives the grapes an exquisite minerality, enables the vines (in the best years) to attain exceptional fruit maturity, complemented by a crystalline acidity.

2013 was characterised by a particularly late growing cycle. A seemingly endless winter was followed by a very cool, late spring. We had to wait until the start of July for flowering to begin - something we hadn’t seen in Champagne for quite some time! Fortunately, summer was glorious with plenty of sunshine, record high temperatures and very low rainfall, ideal for the ripening of the Pinot noirs and Chardonnays. The temperatures were cool for the October harvest and the resulting wines are elegant and fresh - the signs of a «classic» vintage.

TASTING NOTES

Light, delicate soft pink hue. Bright, vibrant, ultra-fine bubbles. Refined bouquet of freshly-picked tart red fruit (wild strawberry, raspberry) and lemon scented flower petals. The pure, precise fragrances delicately intertwine and are gradually joined by overtones of fresh almonds, bread and spices (cocoa bean). These nuanced, intricately interwoven fragrances are ethereal and transcendent.

Intense, velvety and captivating on the palate. What else would you expect after such perfume? The juicy, concentrated red fruit gradually pulls towards a raspberry liqueur character complemented by invigorating, sweet citrus aromas. The harmony and delicacy of the wine is reinforced by the creamy bubbles which create a sensation of roundness and concentration. The mineral freshness lengthens the palate; it becomes vertical, chalky, saline and sapid with a sensation of perpetual acceleration created by the pure, bright limestone.