Louis Roederer - Cristal Champagne 2015 (750ml)
Price: $375.00
| Producer | Louis Roederer |
| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne |
| Varietal | Chardonnay |
| Vintage | 2015 |
| Sku | 5893 |
| Size | 750ml |
The Wine Independent: 98 Points
The 2015 Cristal is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. No malo-lactic was employed and 25% wine was aged in oak. The dosage is 7 grams per liter. An exquisitely delicate yet complex perfume of clover honey freshly shaved ginger marzipan and jasmine slowly emerges from the nose giving way to a core of pear tart persimmons and apple butter. The palate is an exercise in finesse featuring very fine bubbles and fantastic intensity with a myriad of spice and floral nuances finishing with impressive persistence and jaw-dropping poise. This is a style for those that embrace purity soft-spoken expression and impeccable crafting. It won't disappoint those who love Champagne in its initial youthful perfume flushes yet will undoubtedly reward the patient with a richer toastier more obvious and opulent style with
Vinous: 96 Points
I have tasted the 2015 Cristal three times so far - once as part of an extensive vertical I will be reporting on shortly and then later in my office. Those tastings paint a portrait of a complex Champagne that is still finding its center. Tasted at the maison the 2015 is rich dense and explosive with tremendous textural intensity and also a good bit of energy to back it up. Citrus confit spice ginger chalk and dried flowers abound in a Champagne endowed with tremendous aromatic presence in a style that offers notable richness but lighter than vintages such as 2012. There is a bit of the savoriness that is such a signature of the year but it is nicely integrated in the wine?s fabric. Two later tastings in my office strongly suggest the 2015 has already started to shut down a bit which is a shame as it may be hard to read for some time to come. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: November 2022. This is a compelling set of new releases from Roederer and long-time Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. The 2015 Cristal is one of the more intriguing Champagnes in what has turned out to be a tricky vintage overall for a region that is struggling to adapt to the new reality of climate change and its impact on achieving phenolic maturity in the field. ?We strive to reach the classic measurement of 100 days between flowering and harvest and that requires waiting to pick? Lécaillon explains. ?At the same time acidity does not really exist anymore in Champagne so we have to find a way to reinvent it? he adds a bit ironically. The 2015 is an unusual Cristal in that it includes fruit from all 45 parcels at the domaine which has not happened since 2002. Pinots from Verzy and Verzenay north-facing sites in the Montagne de Reims featured quite a bit adding energy to the blend. As always there is no malolactic fermentation. About 25-30% of the lots were fermented in oak. In warmer vintages Lécaillon bumps up the wood a bit to add phenolic intensity which he describes as ?stretching out the finish? and adding freshness. - By Antonio Galloni on March 2023
dWine Spectator: 96 Points
This mouthwatering Champagne has an ethereal quality with a frame of chiseled acidity and focused precision to the pointillisme-like vibrant mousse. Yet this shows depth and generous expression with the finely spun notes of patisserie apple and blackberry fruit opening beautifully on the palate and through the minerally finish with notes of grated ginger blood orange granita salted Marcona almond and anise. Drink now through 2035. From France.?A.N.
Wine Advocate: 95+ Points
If the 2014 vintage was especially open and demonstrative the 2015 Cristal is going to require more patience. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of citrus oil crisp stone fruits white flowers crushed mint and subtle hints of buttery pastry it's medium to full-bodied deep and layered with a deep concentrated and rather introverted core of fruit framed by chalky extract and animated by a pretty pinpoint mousse. This is a serious vinous Champagne that has considerable substance to age and may well evolve along the lines of the lovely 1985.
Decanter: 95 Points
An open and inviting nose references cream oatmeal and Amalfi lemon with the slightest edge of smoke. The palate immediately strikes with a mouthwatering lemon ripeness and a juicy mouthfilling generosity reminiscent of yellow plum. It stays true to the trademark sleekness of Cristal and speaks of the concentration of 2015. Fine mousse accentuates the fullness and roundness of the wine while the long finish hints at chalky depth which for now is dominated by ripe stone fruit and more of that textured rich notion of oatmeal. Definitely a Cristal to enjoy soon.
