Louis Roederer : Cristal 2009
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The most emblematic cuvée of the prestigious Louis Roederer Champagne House, Cristal is only produced in vintages that deserve to be immortsalised. The 2009 vintage is the product of a sunny year with a very cold and dry winter, followed by a sunny and dry summer. The grapes reached perfect maturity before the harvest and were picked under excellent health conditions. 2009 joins the ranks of brilliant Champagne vintages, which will remembered for its light and sunny character. The Cristal 2009 blends 60% Pinot Noir with 40% Chardonnay. The winemaking is carried out without malolactic fermentation, with 16% vinified in oak casks. The wine is aged for 6 years in the cellars and 8 months after disgorging.
At tasting, the Louis Roederer Cristal 2009 offers a golden yellow colour with matte and amber reflections. The bubbles offer a beautiful persistence, brilliance, finesse and tension. The nose is subtle, offering concentrated aromas. There are citrus, candied apricot and honeysuckle aromas, and with aeration, cocoa bean and toasted hazelnut fragrances follow with light hints of liquorice and cinnamon. On the palate, this prestige champagne is well-structured and energetic. There are dense, ripe, silky flavours and mineral freshness. The champagne is light, airy and enveloped with a great personality.
The 2009 Cristal is a blend of Grands Crus from the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs (a total of 33-34 parcels of which 40% were farmed biodynamically). Like the 2008 Cristal, the 2009 also blends 60% Pinot Noir with 40% Chardonnay, and 16% of the wine was vinified in oak casks. No malolactic fermentation was done. The 2009 was aged for six years in the cellars and was disgorged in March 2016 with a dosage of eight grams per liter. Released two years ago, the 2009 is just starting another, more Burgundian life. Tasted in May 2018, the bouquet was pretty reductive, with flinty and toasty/nutty notes and some potted ginger flavors. Full-bodied, round and rich on the palate, this is a stunningly pure, fresh and salty 2009 that is driven by its chalky terroir and the lingering salinity. Is it really 2009? It is ripe, yes, but driven by the strength of chalk. The finish is pure, clean, fresh, very complex and long yet delicate and endlessly salty. However, two years after disgorgement, the 2009 Cristal is closing down and in a pretty reductive stage right now. Tasted May 2018.