As the largest independent family-managed Champagne producer, Louis Roederer rank amongst the region's absolute finest. Established in 1776, the House today is managed by seventh generation family member Frédéric Rouzaud alongside long-time Chef de Cave and Champagne legend Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. They own an astounding 242 hectares of vineyards many in chalk rich Grand Cru villages covering two-thirds of their grape requirements. Roederer have become pioneers in biodynamic farming & by 2012 all 78 hectares the “Cristal Estates” are farmed using biodynamic methods. By 2021 Roederer have 115 hectares certified organic. All the grapes in Cristal & other vintage cuvee’s come from their own vineyards. The estate is made up of 410 plots which are fermented separately in one of the 450 stainless steel tanks in their Reims cellars. In 2020 Roederer replaced Brut Premier with “Collection” allowing each years non-vintage blend to be identified and “re-engineering” the non-vintage cuvee to maintain freshness in the light of global warming on the Champagne region. Today Cristal is, widely recognised as the world's most awarded prestige cuvée champagne.

In 1876, Russia's Tsar Alexander II, a long-time lover of Louis Roederer wines, asked the producer to create a special cuvée for his personal use which was unique in both its style and bottle design. Dissatisfied with standard champagne bottles that concealed the beautiful colour and effervescence from the eye, he requested that his personal cuvée be served in transparent crystal glass bottles, easier to spot poison and with a flat bottom to foil the insertion of explosives by would-be assassins. Thus, Louis Roederer selected the best vines from seven Grand Crus on his estate and Cristal, the first prestige cuvée, was born. Today some 45 plots make up the "Cristal Estates" and each vintage can sometimes be made up of all plots or as is normal often a few plots don't make the final blend.

In 1974, almost 200 years after the establishment of Champagne Louis Roederer and 100 years after the invention of Cristal, Jean-Claude Rouzad decided to create a Cristal Rosé. To achieve this, he selected old-vine Pinot Noir grapes from the finest Grand Cru vineyards of Aÿ, which are now cultivated according to biodynamic principals. The unique calcareous soil, which gives the grapes an exquisite minerality, enables the vines to attain exceptional fruit maturity complemented by a crystalline acidity. The rosé content is produced using the saignée (bleeding) process after cold maceration for five to eight days in the liquid phase. As with Cristal, 20-30% of the wines are vinified in oak barrels and the final blend is matured for six years in the cellars and rested for eight months after disgorgement. Produced only in the very best years, Cristal Rosé is Louis Roederer's rarest champagne. Cristal Rosé 2002 was aged on its lees for 7 years before being matured for a further 8 years in bottle after its disgorgement in 2010.

Weather: The 2002 vintage shaped up magnificently over the spring, with no significant frost and near-perfect flowering. Then followed a summer marked by long, sunny periods interspersed with regular cloudy and rainy spells. The vines were in good health and the dehydration of the grape berries helped them reach new heights of ripeness. Generally considered one of the best harvests in the last twenty years.

News Article: We tasted Cristal Rosé Late Release 2002 with Louis Roederer Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon in April 2018. Read the full write-up here.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand Cru | Pinot Noir: Aÿ, Cumières, Verzenay, Verzy | Chardonnay: Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (Detailed map)
Grape Varieties: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
Ageing: 7 years on the lees
Disgorged: 2010
Dosage: 9 g/l
Drink: Now to 2050+

Champagne in clear bottles must be stored in complete darkness, it spoils quickly if exposed to any light source. Cristal is supplied in yellow wrapping (not shown in photo) do not remove it and ideally place in a box. Read More

Tasting Note: Beautiful salmon pink with a rich bouquet of red fruit and citrus zest. This has a marvellous concentration of fruit, typical of 2002. The exceptional characteristics of this vintage have been captured here perfectly. Combine the rarity of Cristal Rosé and the extraordinary 2002 vintage and this is one unparalleled champagne: very highly acclaimed and increasingly hard to source.