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 Rouzaud 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 is produced using the cold maceration technique for 2-4 days. As with Cristal, 20-30% of the wines are vinified in oak barrels and the final blend is matured on the lees for six years in cool dark cellars and rested for eight months after disgorgement. Produced only in the very best years, Cristal Rosé is Louis Roederer's rarest & finest champagne.

Weather: The 2008 vintage began with difficulty for Louis Roederer. After a stormy and rainy spring, flowering was late with widespread disease producing small and dense clusters of grapes. The dry summer, though cool with relatively little sunshine, resulted in a maturation process that was both dry and fresh. Exceptionally favourable weather conditions in September then fostered perfect maturation of the grapes, producing wines with an exceptional and natural balance between freshness and a concentration of flavours. As more releases hit the market, 2008 is being considered the next-best vintage since 2002.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand Cru | Pinot Noir: Aÿ | Chardonnay: Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (Detailed map)
Grape Varieties: 56% Pinot Noir, 44% Chardonnay
Ageing: 6 years on the lees
Dosage: 9 g/l
Drink: Now to 2040

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: A pink salmon colour with a fine stream of bubbles. On the nose hints of forest fruits and blackberries. On the palate an abundance of cherries and strawberries with a vibrant mid palate. This vintage, from a year where Pinot Noir excelled, has all the fruit-forward intensity you'd expect from such a warm season. This will age tremendously.