Champagne: 2012 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut

Cristal is Louis Roederers flagship cuve. It was created in 1876 and is composed of Grand Crus from the Montagne de Reims, the Marne Valley, and the Cte des Blancs. Cristal 2008 was bottle-aged for 8 years before being left to rest for at least 8 months after disgorging in order to attain perfect maturity.

Size: 750ML

Proof: 24 (12% ABV)

Origin: France

Distillery: Louis Roederer

It is a 60/40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from 36 plots in seven grands crus: Verzy, Verzenay, Beaumont and A for the Pinot Noir and Mesnil, Avize and Cramant for the Chardonnay. Twenty-five percent of the wine was fermented in oak, and 16% underwent malolactic fermentation to moderate the fresh acidity of the 2008 vintage. The assemblage was bottled in May 2009. After 8.5 years on the second lees (longer than any Cristal before), the first release was disgorged in September 2017 with a relatively low dosage of 7.5 grams per liter.

2008 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne Tasting Notes

Nose: The 2008 Cristal opens bright, super clear, fresh and pure on the exciting, absolutely fascinating nose with its fine, complex and elegant bouquet of gorgeously ripe and matured fruits, brioche and chalk expressions.

Palate: The palate is pure, lean, fresh and filigreed but concentrated, highly complex, full of tension and enormously vibrant. This is a great vin de terroir, a dense and elegant Super-Cristal that goes straight and precise as a laser beam over the palate but also has texture in the form of sensually fleshy fruit.

Finish: The endless and highly tensioned finish is complex, citrusy fresh, full of chalk and crystalline finesse.

Distillery Information

Louis Roederer is a producer of champagne based in Reims, France. Founded in 1776, it was inherited and renamed by Louis Roederer in 1833. It remains today as one of the only still independent and family-run maisons de champagne (champagne houses). Over 3.5 million bottles of Louis Roederer champagne are shipped each year to more than 100 countries.