About
Louis Roederer's flagship, a blend of 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay from the house's estate vineyards, with 31% of the base wines aged in French oak foudres, no malolactic fermentation and a modest 7 g/L dosage. The 2016 is restrained and layered: a floral perfume over red berry and citrus, concentrated citrus fruit with grain and almond on the palate, dynamic mousse, and the vintage's long, salivating, saline-chalky finish. Built for the cellar — it rewards at least three to five more years of patience.
Cristal comes off 45 plots across seven grand cru villages, farmed with biodynamic composts on the chalk that gives the wine its powdery grip. Only 32 of those plots made the 2016 blend. The Pinot Noir leans on Verzy and Verzenay with Aÿ behind, and the Chardonnay on Avize, then Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant. The house only makes it in years when the fruit reaches full ripeness.
The 2016 season was rough early. Frost and heavy mildew pressure hit in spring, then a late August heatwave ripened the Pinot Noir and gave it that juicy, silky core. Picking ran from 15 September to 1 October. Roederer calls the result half sun and half soil, and puts it beside the 2002, 2008 and 2012.
It is fresher and brighter than the 2015. Serve it well chilled in a proper wine glass, not a flute, so the perfume has room.
Producer note
Cristal was created in 1876 when Tsar Alexander II asked Louis Roederer to craft a cuvee for his personal use — the origin of its clear glass bottle. It remains the house's prestige cuvee, drawn from Roederer's own estate vineyards.
Structure
Grape
Picked on Stef's structure profile.
