2002 Champagne Louis Roederer, Cristal, Brut
Critics reviews
This is the original 2009 disgorgement. Dosage is 9 grams per liter.
The 2002 Cristal is just entering its first plateau of maturity. Ripe, exotic and striking, the 2002 is all class. Apricot jam, ginger, spice, dried flowers and mint open first as the 2002 shows off its alluring personality. Pretty floral accents, apple tart and brioche build with time in the glass, bringing out added dimensions of freshness and energy. The 2002 was fabulous when I first tasted it just prior to release, and has consistently been outstanding. It is a rare Cristal made from all 45 parcels that comprise the estate, a telling sign of the high level of the vintage across the board.
Drink 2023 - 2043
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (December 2023)
Tasted from the original 2009 disgorgement, the 2002 Cristal is a broad, vinous wine, bursting with aromas of honeyed yellow orchard fruit, warm butter, brioche and fresh peaches. On the palate, it's full-bodied, textural and mouthfilling, rendering the fine-boned chalky structure and textural finesse that distinguish this quintessentially elegant style of this cuvée in a broader-shouldered, more enveloping register. The 2002 is beginning to enter its plateau of maturity and is drinking beautifully today, though it still has many years ahead of it.
Drink 2019 - 2039
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (March 2020)
Magnum. Disgorged in 2008, dosage 9 g/l. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. 17% of the cuvée is fermented in oak. Five years spent on the lees. ‘In 2002 I did nothing – just blended the usual Cristal plots’, said Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon.
Deep dark straw. Very complex and this seems really quite aged. Mature white-burgundy sensation. Complex and savoury. Really exciting. Maybe not the most persistent Cristal in this vertical tasting, but really exciting.
Drink 2012 - 2026
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (March 2022)
A re-release of the original 2010 disgorgement. Super fine, super fresh and super savoury aromas of chalky stones with hints of flowers, white almonds, lemon peel and grapefruit. The palate has intense, mouth-filling, lemon-curd flavour. Very powerful, very concentrated and very expressive. Smooth finish that’s full of life, leaving a bright, white cherry note.
Drink in 2022
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (September 2019)
About this WINE
Louis Roederer
Founded in 1776, Louis Roederer is a family-owned, independent Champagne house with a well-deserved reputation for quality. It is managed by Frédéric Rouzaud, the seventh generation to be at the helm.
In 1876, Louis Roederer created the now-famous Cristal at the request of Alexander II. This once intensely sweet wine is now one of the most luscious, deeply flavoured champagnes available, with the '88, '89 and '90 among the greatest Cristals ever released.
Louis Roederer’s best-selling non-vintage blend for almost 40 years, Brut Premier, has recently been replaced by Collection 242. This new multi-vintage blend was created by Chef du Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon in response to increasingly warm vintages. The cuvée aims to capture freshness and is based on a perpetual reserve which focuses on acidity and minerality.
Brut Champagne
Brut denotes a dry style of Champagne (less than 15 grams per litre). Most Champagne is non-vintage, produced from a blend from different years. The non-vintage blend is always based predominately on wines made from the current harvest, enriched with aged wines (their proportion and age varies by brand) from earlier harvests, which impart an additional level of complexity to the end wine. Champagnes from a single vintage are labelled with the year reference and with the description Millésimé.
Non-vintage Champagnes can improve with short-term ageing (typically two to three years), while vintages can develop over much longer periods (five to 30 years). The most exquisite and often top-priced expression of a house’s style is referred to as Prestige Cuvée. Famous examples include Louis Roederer's Cristal, Moët & Chandon's Dom Pérignon, and Pol Roger's Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.
Recommended Producers : Krug, Billecart Salmon, Pol Roger, Bollinger, Salon, Gosset, Pierre Péters, Ruinart
Champagne blend
Which grapes are included in the blend, and their proportion, is one of the key factors determining the style of most Champagnes. Three grapes are used - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.
26% of vineyards in Champagne are planted with Chardonnay and it performs best on the Côtes des Blancs and on the chalk slopes south of Epernay. It is relatively simple to grow, although it buds early and thus is susceptible to spring frosts. It produces lighter, fresher wines than those from Burgundy and gives finesse, fruit and elegance to the final blend. It is the sole grape in Blancs de Blancs, which are some of the richest long-lived Champagnes produced.
Pinot Noir accounts for nearly 40% of the plantings in Champagne and lies at the heart of most blends - it gives Champagne its body, structure, strength and grip. It is planted across Champagne and particularly so in the southern Aube district.
The final component is Pinot Meunier and this constitutes nearly 35% of the plantings. Its durability and resistance to spring frosts make the Marne Valley, a notorious frost pocket, its natural home. It ripens well in poor years and produces a soft, fruity style of wine that is ideal for blending with the more assertive flavours of Pinot Noir. Producers allege that Pinot Meunier lacks ageing potential, but this does not deter Krug from including around 15% of it in their final blends.
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Description
This is the original 2009 disgorgement. Dosage is 9 grams per liter.
The 2002 Cristal is just entering its first plateau of maturity. Ripe, exotic and striking, the 2002 is all class. Apricot jam, ginger, spice, dried flowers and mint open first as the 2002 shows off its alluring personality. Pretty floral accents, apple tart and brioche build with time in the glass, bringing out added dimensions of freshness and energy. The 2002 was fabulous when I first tasted it just prior to release, and has consistently been outstanding. It is a rare Cristal made from all 45 parcels that comprise the estate, a telling sign of the high level of the vintage across the board.
Drink 2023 - 2043
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (December 2023)
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