Cristal 2015

The estate

Founded in 1776 in Reims, the Louis Roederer Champagne House has remained family-owned and independent. After more than 200 years of existence, the House of Louis Roederer is still in the hands of the same family. Today, headed by Frédéric Rouzaud, who represents the seventh generation of the family line, Louis Roederer embodies the excellence of Champagne wines throughout the world thanks to its cuvées that are made like works of art.

The vineyard
With nearly 241 hectares of vines, the House of Louis Roederer derives its strength from its extraordinary vineyard, made up entirely of Grand and Premier Crus in the Marne Valley, the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs. A veritable mosaic of terroirs, the Maison Louis Roederer's vineyards are divided into 410 plots that reflect the full diversity of the Champagne region's soils.

The wine
The house's iconic cuvée, first created in 1876 for the Tsar of Russia, Cristal is produced from 45 exceptional plots, spread over 7 Grand Crus of the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs.

Cristal 2015 thus originates from 3 emblematic vineyards of the house: 1/3 from the vineyards of "la Rivière", 1/3 from "la Montagne" and 1/3 from "la Côte". The crus used to make this exceptional champagne are Verzenay, Verzy, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Ay, Avize, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant.

The vintage
The year 2015 had a mild and wet winter and a hot and particularly dry summer. The rainy spells recorded in the second half of August saved the vineyard, thus preserving the freshness and concentration of the grapes. The harvest was quantitative and of exceptional quality for this year marking the recognition of the Champagne region as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Winemaking and ageing
The work in the vineyard is guided by ever more conscientious viticultural practices which allow us to obtain a perfect balance and a superb grape ripeness. The wine-making process is carried out under wood for 25%. No malolactic fermentation. The dosage of this Brut Champagne is 7 grams per litre.

Blend
Pinot Noir (60%) and Chardonnay (40%).

Colour
The colour is of a shining, beautiful golden yellow. The effervescence is lively and of a great finesse.

Nose
The nose reveals a particularly rich aromatic expression. Concentrated fragrances of yellow fruit (white peach, mirabelle plum), hazelnut and roasted almonds blend harmoniously. With aeration, the bouquet reveals its ideal alliance between the characteristic notes of almond, harvest and sweet pollen, from the Chardonnay, and delicious fruitiness (red and juicy fruits) from the Pinot Noir.

Palate
Lively with great concentration, the palate opens on a silky touch unveiling scents of preserved citrus fruit and iodised spices. The palate draws out its freshness and precision until the finish which has subtle woody and saline notes, bringing a lovely combination of finesse and concentration.

Louis Roederer’s cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, who could not be present for the London launch, refers to 2015 as a ‘soil vintage’, one that spoke of the deep-rooted vines of what the estate refers to as Domaine Cristal, a range of 45 plots across seven grand cru villages that are farmed organically and biodynamically.

The grapes that make it into Cristal must be from vines older than 20 years in order to express both the chalkiness and salinity of these soils.

A different tone
2015 was warm, having seen a mild, wet winter followed by a hot and sunny summer which prompted both heat and water stress in the vines during a short vegetative period. The dryness of the year produced exceptionally healthy grapes with much concentration.

Lécaillon believes that there are three key stages of grape ripeness, especially for Chardonnay. A first phase in which citrus flavours dominate, a second stage where tropical fruit notes appear and a final stage that expresses the salinity of the soil.

Achieving this ripeness, combined with higher dry extract and use of old oak to build texture, were all things that enhanced freshness this year, and allowed the wine to embrace the warmth of the vintage.

All of this is evident in the 2015 Cristal, which lacks the tension of both 2013 and 2014 and is therefore one for much earlier drinking.

The house itself notes that the 2015 Cristal ‘resonates with a different tone to that of previous vintages’.

The winemaking
Cristal 2015 was, for the first time since 2002, selected from all 45 dedicated Cristal plots, with 40% of Chardonnay from Avize, Cramant and Mesnil-sur-Oger and 60% of Pinot Noir from Aÿ, Verzenay, Verzy and Beaumont-sur-Vesle, harvested between 7 and 20 September.

A quarter of the base wines were fermented and aged in used oak, while malolactic fermentation was blocked to retain brightness.

It was disgorged in 2022 with a dosage of 7g/L, after seven years of ageing on lees and a further 12 months of bottle ageing before release.

While Cristal 2015 has the house’s trademark elegance and drinks deliciously from the off, it lacks the essential x-factor that usually makes Cristal so haunting, exciting and beguiling.