Louis Roederer Cristal 2002 Methuselah
Limited UK Stocks. Physical Stock Available.
Tasting Notes:
Brilliant yellow with light amber highlights. A beautiful mousse with fine stream of persistent and regular bubbles. On the nose intense and delicate, revealing a clean and well integrated mixture of flavours of honey, cocoa, lightly toasted hazelnuts, candied citrus fruit - without exuberance, but luxurious simplicity.
A savoury explosion of ripe fruit on the attack, revealing red fruit, white chocolate, caramel and Danish pastry, typical of Cristal. Silky, concentrated texture, under pinned by an intense, powerful and vinous structure, but retaining its elegance. The palate builds up to attain a delicious sensation of harmonious of flavours. It has a fresh finish with a hint of bitterness.
All the exceptional characteristics of the 2002 vintage have literally been captured in this 2002 Cristal, which is generous and lush, revealing perfect balance between concentration and finesse, freshness and vinosity, intensity and refinement. In three words: proud, rich and luxurious.
The style precise, silky, balanced, and harmonious with a powerful, rich body, great purity and an incredible ability to age.
Grape Variety:
55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay - 20% of wines matured in oak casks with weekly batonnage. No malolactic fermentation. Cristal is produced using harvests from the finest vineyards of Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs. The wines undergo an average of 5 years maturation in cellars and rest 8 months after disgorgement to perfect its maturity.
Dosage of between 8 and 10 g/l is adapted to each vintage.
Pairing with food:
Scallops, caviar with citrus. Half-smoked salmon. Chardonnay lobster and rhubarb. Spider crab and fennel. Oysters with a champagne zabaglione. Oyster tartare chipolatas with chives. Marinated raw fish.
Background Information:
Established in 1776, Champagne Louis Roederer is one of the few remaining completely independent family owned, great Champagne houses.
In 1876 Tsar Alexander II, who was already a great fan of Louis Roederer’s champagne, asked Louis Roederer to go one step further and produce, for his own personal consumption, a unique wine in quality and bottle. Louis Roederer offered to create an exceptional white crystal bottle to house the best selection from the 7 finest vineyards of his estate. This wine was only produced in the “great” years when the ripeness of the Chardonnay and Pinot noir enabled a subtle, precise balance. The wine is the region’s most prestigious.
Cristal 2002 Review:
... the 2002 Louis Roederer Cristal is spectacular. It is a young champagne with lots of brioche, honeysuckle, and nectarine notes presented in a full-bodied, rich style. Purists would probably say it is too young to drink, and it has at least 15-20 years of life remaining…97 points
R. Parker, The Hedonist’s Gazette, 4/2010
