Thursday 20th September 2018 19:00 until 21.00
67 Pall Mall, Lutyens Room, London, SW1Y 5ES
Presenters: Mark Bingley MW & Nick Baker
Places are limited to 12 people

To wait list for any returns please call or email Chris chris@TheFinestBubble.com

If you have a particular passion for Louis Roederer Cristal, then this is the event for you. A tasting of eleven Louis Roederer Champagnes, from 2000 to 2009, including the new release of 2008 and 2006 in bottle and magnum. Also, enjoy the new release of Cristal Rose 2008 and 2009.

The tasting will take place in the Lutyens Room at 67 Pall Mall. The tasting will be blind and guests will have the opportunity to use our live scoring app, with plenty of time for a round-table discussion.

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.

Now world-famous, Cristal is produced only from the truly great vintages in which the ripeness of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes can provide the subtle and precise balance that is now the distinction of this cuvée. Between 20-30% of the wines are vinified in oak barrels and the final blend is matured for six years in the cellars and rests for twelve months after disgorgement. Recently, the Cristal vineyards have been converting to biodynamic farming methods and the House estimates that by 2020 all Cristal plots will be cultivated biodynamically.

Champagnes to be tasted:
Louis Roederer Cristal 2000
Louis Roederer Cristal 2002
Louis Roederer Cristal 2004
Louis Roederer Cristal 2005
Louis Roederer Cristal 2006
Louis Roederer Cristal 2006 magnum
Louis Roederer Cristal 2007
Louis Roederer Cristal 2008
Louis Roederer Cristal 2009
Louis Roederer Cristal Rose 2008
Louis Roederer Cristal Rose 2009

Mark Bingley MW - Soon after graduating from Cambridge, Mark became fascinated by the mystery of fine wines. He started in the wine trade specialising in Champagne and Burgundy and studied to be a Master of Wine in his spare time. His keen enthusiasm for Champagne led to him becoming a founding member of Maisons Marques et Domaines, which was established by Champagne Louis Roederer in 1986. As Fine Wine Director, he has responsibility for sales to prestige wine merchants as well as the selection, presentation and communication of MMD’s finest wines. Mark has been a Master of Wine for 30 years and is Chair of the Events & Tastings Committee for the Institute of Masters of Wine.

Nick Baker - The founder of The Finest Bubble, Nick has worked in the wine industry since leaving university in 1989, starting in selling and eventually moving onto marketing. He spent a year working with MMD and Louis Roederer before getting the taste for California and heading to Sonoma County for a few years. He set up TFB in 2014, testing the concept of same day delivery in London for Champagne. The website grew quickly and the service is now even more focused: delivering to London within two hours from a range of 350+ Champagnes and English sparkling wines. Nick spends time each year in Reims and Épernay researching new producers and future releases, writing up the news on TFB.

The venue 67 Pall Mall - Founded by wine lovers, for wine lovers, 67 Pall Mall is a unique private members' club. In the heart of historic St James's, Sir Edwin Lutyens' magnificent building is being transformed into a luxurious, convivial and welcoming clubhouse. Here, members will be able to enjoy access to some of the finest and rarest wines in the world, direct from the Club's extensive cellars.

Tickets are available on a first come first served basis to 12 guests at £295.00 per person.