Louis Roederer : Cristal Rosé 2013

A delicate and harmonious vintage rosé champagne by Louis Roederer

The estate

Founded in 1776 in Reims, the Louis Roederer Champagne House has remained family-owned and independent. After over 200 years of existence, the Louis Roederer House is still owned by the same family. Today, headed by Frédéric Rouzaud, who represents the family’s seventh generation, Louis Roederer embodies the excellence of Champagne wines throughout the world, due to its vintages that are crafted like true works of art.

The vineyard

Comprising nearly 241 hectares of vines, the Louis Roederer House’s strength comes from its extraordinary vineyard, made up entirely of Grands and Premiers Crus in the Marne Valley, the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs. An impressive patchwork of terroirs, the Louis Roederer vineyard is divided into 410 plots that reflect the diversity of the Champagne region’s soils.

For its 2013 vintage, the house has selected terroirs mainly located in Ay, Avize and Mesnil-sur-Oger.

The wine

The house's iconic champagne, first created in 1876 for the Tsar of Russia, Cristal, is made from 45 exceptional "lieux-dits", local hamlets, spread over 7 Grands Crus of the Montagne de Reims, the Marne Valley and the Côte des Blancs.

The vintage

The 2013 vintage is characterised by a very late cycle. The winter drags on and spring struggled to make an appearance. It is only during the first days of July that the vines started to flower. As if to mark a contrast, the summer turned out to be glorious and provided the vineyard with tremendous amounts of sunshine as well as very little rain. These weather conditions enable the Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay grapes to reach optimum ripeness. In October, the harvest took place in the cool autumn weather, the production of elegant wines with a distinctive freshness can begin.

The vinification and ageing

The Louis Roederer Champagne house has developed a unique technique for making its rosé champagnes, it is the fruit of many years of experimentation. ''Infusing'' the Chardonnay juice into a Pinot Noir maceration leads to the integration between the two, resulting in juicy, ripe wines that are still very fresh. Champagne does not undergo malolactic fermentation. 20% of the wines are vinified in wood. The dosage of Cristal Rosé 2013 is 7 grams per litre.

The blend

Pinot Noir (55%) and Chardonnay (45%).

Cristal Rosé 2013: Characteristics and tasting tips

The tasting

Colour

Cristal Rosé 2013 has a light and delicate pink colour with a fine and brilliant effervescence.

Nose

The aromatic bouquet is characterised by its refined expression of tangy red fruit and lemony flower petals. Purity and precision are expressed through fresh almonds and gingerbread fragrances.

Palate

Cristal Rosé 2013 embodies an intense, velvety and bewitching champagne. The aromas brush over to the palate in an array of flavours such as juicy red fruit and raspberry liqueur, combined with sweet citrus. The harmony and delicacy are fully revealed in the creamy effervescence. The mineral freshness permeates the structure of this exceptional champagne right through to the salty and elegant finish which highlights Cristal’s true character.