Cristal Rosé, Louis Roederer 2002

The 2002 Cristal Rosé has always been suspected to become a legend one day. Now, nine years later, the onion-colored wine has arrived in the Olympus of the finest Champagnes. Clear, matured and vinous on the intense and complex yet very delicate nose, this is a lush, succulent, perfectly round and intense 2002 that equilibrates its generosity and texture with great elegance and spellbinding balance. Stunningly, this seamless, charmingly seductive and voluptuous character is combined with great purity and harmony, especially in the finish that is not just round and caressing but also fresh, piquant and stimulatingly salty. Is there anything more we could expect from a Rosé Champagne? Even if you served me the wine in a black glass, it would still be a gorgeous, beautiful wine. Yes, it's wine rather than anything else, and its bubbly vinosity makes me desperate for more. If I just could, I would marry the 2002 Cristal Rosé straightaway. The cuvée reflects a great continental vintage as well as the stupendous terroirs of Aÿ (Pinot Noir: 60%), Avize and Mesnil (Chardonnay: 40%). The bottle I tasted at Roederer in Reims in May 2018 was disgorged in 2011, so, like the 2008, after eight years on the second lees.

The 2002 Brut Cristal Rose shows the classic Roederer introspectiveness that can sometimes make the wines hard to grasp when they are young. It, too, is a relatively lightly-colored rose. The bouquet is beautifully woven into a fabric of layered, ripe fruit. With some time in the glass, the wine's textural beauty becomes more apparent, but this is a Champagne that needs bottle age. It should be spectacular in time. Cristal Rose is made with the same technique as the rose, which is to say the Pinot is cold-macerated on the skins for 6-7 days, but the percentage of oak is a touch higher. For Cristal Rose the Pinot is sourced from Ay and the percentage of Chardonnay (from Avize and Mesnil) is a touch higher than the Brut Rose at 40% of the blend. This is Lot L031784L100149, disgorged in April, 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022. This is another set of exceptional new releases from Roederer, one of the very few of the larger houses that captures the full potential of Champagne as an art of blended wine. Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon and his team have done a marvelous job with these Champagnes. Unfortunately, I was not able to taste the 2004 Cristal, which will be released in the Spring of 2010. Lecaillon is also working on a new wine, a Brut Nature Champagne (equal parts Pinot and Chardonnay, and likely to be a vintage wine) which will also be released next Spring

The sense of completeness here is stunning. This has very complex aromas of sous-bois, blood oranges and spicy, lightly toasty elements, as well as a wealth of dried roses, brown, woody spices, gunflint and pot-pourri. Expansive, playful palate with exotic pink grapefruit and a silky, soft and fleshy, supple edge. Almost airy, soft, delicate fruit. Full of happiness! Vibrant, succulent cherries to close. Holds super long. This really is in a great place. Original disgorgement in 2012.