Louis Roederer Cristal 2014

Tasting Note: A golden hue with soft, glowing highlights. Fine, steady, gentle bubbles. Powerful and complex on the palate, revealing a mixture of yellow fruit, juicy, ripe fruits, citrus peel and finely roasted nuts. On the nose, powdery and sweet, with elegant, chalky notes. Fine, textured tannins reveal a poised and vinous dimension to the wine. The finish is savoury and saline.

2014 is the third vintage of Cristal to be created from 100% bio-dynamically farmed grapes.

Weather: 2014 was characterised by mild temperatures and frequent rainfall and a few weeks of high temperatures, a very solid vintage with good ripeness and acidity. Flowering began in June and summer was a combination of dry, wet and cold spells. Some regions saw some disease and Meunier in the Marne Valley didn’t have a great year and some of the Pinot Noir with its thinner skin made it more difficult for the red grapes. Harvest took place from 8th to 20th September. A year where it was necessary to select the red grapes carefully to maintain high quality. In general Chardonnay is the star of the vintage.