Louis Roederer Cristal Rose (Gift Box) 1500ml

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.

Winemaker notes

A blend of around 55% Pinot noir and 45% Chardonnay, comprising 20% of wine matured in oak tuns, Cristal Rosé is produced using the saignée (bleeding) process after cold maceration. The Cristal Rosé cuvée is aged, on average, for 6 years in Louis Roederer’s cellars.
The attack reveals an aromatic intensity with a remarkable fullness and the smooth, sweet flavours of white flowers, red fruits, caramel, and Tarte Tatin. The full, round, and refined texture in the initial attack, which is characteristic of the Louis Roederer Champagne House, is complemented by a winey—though not full-bodied—structure and a remarkable freshness, giving an impression of great finesse and strengthening the wine’s precision.

2013 - Cristal rosé 2013 is as pure as nectar, a distillation of delicate perfumes with dense, concentrated aromas. Could it be perfection? - Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Cellar Master

2013

Wine Advocate 99: A candidate for wine-of-the-vintage honors in Champagne, Roederer's 2013 Cristal Rosé is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, red berries, stone fruit, freshly baked bread and tangerine oil. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, the vintage's bright girdling acids are amply cloaked in exuberant, expressive and notably concentrated fruit; so while this Cristal is as tensile and age-worthy as one would expect, it's also impressively fleshy and generous given the year. Concluding with an intensely sapid finish, the 2013 isn't as overtly structured as the muscular, tightly wound 2012: rather, it's the 2013's alliance of cut and flesh, precision and charm that's so compelling this year. This is another banner vintage for what I consider the reigning champion of the region's tête de cuvée bottlings, and it will be worth an effort to acquire.

James Suckling 98: Biscuit, white strawberry, peach, pie crust, chalk, pomegranate and pink grapefruit here. Cotton candy, too. Sharp and vibrant, with direct and linear character. Elegant, fine bubbles. Dry and delicate, yet powerful. Drink or hold.