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Louis Roederer - 2016 Cristal Sparkling Champagne
The 2016 vintage was characterised by particularly marked weather variations: spring was cool, wet and relatively late whereas summer was warm and dry with a heatwave in late August followed by dry and sunny weather over the harvest period which was highly beneficial to the ripening of the grapes. Our Pinot noirs thrived in these dry, sunny conditions and the heat
has given them an intensely fruity character and silky smooth texture. The Chardonnays are just as outstanding although more chiselled and saline in character.
Bright, shiny yellow hue. Magnificent fine, slow-moving bubbles. The bouquet is intense, deep and precise, combining scents of white flowers (acacia), concentrated, roasted citrus (lemons) and ripe yellow fruit (peaches, mirabelle plums). After a few minutes, subtle iodised, powdery and roasted overtones emerge, the result of the autolysis of the yeasts during the “sur lattes” ageing process. On the palate, there is an immediate impression, soft and delicate, more accessible than ever! It is like a zabaglione with concentrated, juicy and ripe fruit, the hallmark of the great Pinot noirs from the heatwave in 2016 with their soft, caressing texture derived from the chalky soil in which they grow. The bubbles are tactile, perfectly integrated and almost salty. Wheat and oyster
shell notes are the signature of the slow and late ripening great Chardonnays. The substance is there, powdery, grainy and deliciously chocolatey. We are very close to having the “ideal” balance, the wine is crisp, saline and iodised, with a long, chalky, crystalline finish that lingers
and builds to a crescendo. The overall impression is one of refinement, sapidity and purity... like the infinite grace of an opera ballerina. Cristal 2016 is pure, delicate and concentrated. It is the perfect, eloquent “Grand
Cristal”: 50% sun (ripe, juicy Pinot noirs) and 50% soil (chalky, saline Chardonnays). It is similar to the 2002, 2008 and 2012, but with an even longer, more precise and concentrated character.
