Cristal 2014 - Louis Roederer

Grape varieties: 60 % Pinot Noir, 40 % Chardonnay

Tasting notes

Brilliant, strong golden colour, wonderful shine. Dynamic perlage, unbreakable, fine string of pearls. Intense, wonderfully fragrant bouquet of great purity. Notes of concentrated and candied citrus mingle delicately with harvest aromas as well as impressions of lightly toasted almonds. The generous, fruity bouquet appears partly fresh, partly slightly acidic, energetic and delicate.

The palate is fruity, the texture velvety. The gentle effervescence is perfectly integrated and extremely elegant. The purity and perfection of ripe yellow fruits merge with the intense chalky freshness that is so typical of Cristal. The impression is both powdery and salty.

In the middle of the palate, thanks to the partial ageing in oak barrels, which provides spiciness and juiciness, it is dense, smooth, concentrated and long.

The long, salty and wonderfully elegant finish offers a real crescendo and reveals a velvety, grainy texture.

Vintage

As for the weather, ups and downs with marked, very strong contrasts. A wonderful, dry spring, ending with an exceedingly hot June; followed by a rather autumnal, fresh and rainy summer. This was followed by a warm, sunny and very dry September that could have been an August. The secret of this vintage's success is based both on its soils and on the work of our winemakers: the winners were the water-draining chalk soils in the lower-middle part of the slope. They managed to drain away the summer's excess water and avoid excessive growth. Our environmentally friendly viticultural practices also ensured a perfect balance of grapes and optimal ripeness.