Cristal Rosé Vinotheque, Louis Roederer 1999

The 1999 Cristal Rosé Vinothèque is an extraordinarily delicate, transparent Champagne that blurs the line between Champagne and wine. The mousse is so refined, almost as if it wrapped within a ball of Pinot fruit. In 1999, the Rosé is 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, the Pinots from 2 blocks in Aÿ and the Chardonnays from one block each in Avize and Mesnil. For the Rosé, the Pinot is done as a saignée that infused into the white wine. That requires picking the Pinots on the riper side (riper than for the Blanc), and it is likely elevated maturity in the fruit that tilts the Vinothèque into the more vinous realm. The 1999 is an exquiste wine laced with the essence of red berry fruit, rose petal, mint, orange zest and a touch of spice. Dosage is 7-8 grams per liter. Disgorged in 2016.

The 1999 Cristal Rosé Vinothèque spent seven years sur lattes and seven years sur pointes before disgorgement in 2013. Bursting with aromas of dried citrus peel, pomelo, white cherries, fresh pastry, iodine and beeswax, it's medium to full-bodied, vinous and fleshy, with a chalky backbone that enlivens the wine's textural, muscular profile, concluding with a long and sapid finish. Again, there's an extra dimension here beyond what the 1999 Cristal—impressive in its own right—achieves. Fully mature, this will drink well for the better part of two decades.