Louis Roederer Cristal 2015

For the first time since 2002, this vintage is sourced from all 45 plots where the vines are over 20 years old and thus eligible for inclusion in the Cristal blend. With its concentrated character, this continental year has given us this exceptional and rare opportunity and today it is simply magical to see the whole Estate reflect the identity of this unique wine: pure fruit, superb finesse and elegant length. The permanence of Cristal is thanks to its loyalty to the soil. It is a wine that is rooted in the eternal, that of the seasons, a ripening cycle, a heritage and a quest. A perfect combination of softness and concentration, matched by a masterful maturity, Cristal 2015 delivers intense and delicious aromas with a superb energy and a magical vibration. This is a timeless champagne with a chalky temperament, sustained by its soils, freed from the sunny character of the vintage. The nose begins with hints of yellow fruit, toasted almonds and wheat from the Chardonnay, combined with the juicy red fruit of the Pinot Noir. Then comes the great surge of energy from the wines structure, a vibratory intensity that transforms into a gentle caress, a silky texture interwoven with fine flavours of candied citrus and iodised spices. The vintages chalky character thus bursts forth in a bracing, vertical effervescence, with an insistent, precise and finely honed freshness. The finish is underpinned by subtle oaky, sappy and saline notes, which creates the ultimate sensation of delicacy and concentration. Cristal 2015 remains a wine of supreme balance and measure, resonating from the chalky nature of its soils rather than the sunny character of its vintage. A perfect Cristal, intensely of the 2015 vintage, with enormous ageing potential...