Magnum of Louis Roederer Cristal 2008 Champagne 150cl

Louis Roederer's Cristal Champagne 2008 Vintage Magnum is a Champagne at it's finest, as inspired today as it has always been, the embodiment of elegance and purity. Cristal is wrapped in clear gold, to protect the contents from harmful UV, Cristal is made according to the strictest criteria based on a drastic process of selection applying to the vintage, the cru, the village, the grapes and finally the wines.

Tasting Notes:

Amber hue with green and orange tints. Fine, even and lively sparkle.

Complex and intense bouquet disclosing candied citrus, yellow fruit, Williams pear, pollen and toasted almond. The delicately seductive bouquet shows intensity and well-honed precision.

The wine is powerful, full yet tight, on entry to the palate. The 2008 is undeniably well structured but in a particular way: the wine's almost saline concentration has not been created by the sun, but is derived from the dryness of the chalk soil in a particularly cool summer.

The result is a smooth, almost liquorous, mouthfeel that coats the palate with a powerful yet soft texture. This gives way to an incredible finish, underpinned by freshness and an impression of absolute purity with a taut and very saline character.

Assemblage:

Cristal 2008 is made with 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay - 20% wines matured in wood (oak casks) with weekly batonnage - 20% malolactic fermentation. Cristal is a blend of grand crus from the Reims mountain, the Marne Valley and Côte des Blancs.

Cristal 2008 was bottle-aged for 8 years before being left to rest for at least 8 months after disgorging in order to attain perfect maturity.

The dosage is 8 g/l.

2008 Harvest:

The 2008 vintage was characterised by an unusually dry and cool summer and undoubtedly falls into the 'continental' vintage category: dense and powerful owing to its exceptional concentration. Nevertheless, the unusually cool temperatures over the summer made their mark on the vintage, giving it a remarkable intense and saline freshness.