Louis Roederer’s cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, who could not be present for the London launch, refers to 2015 as a ‘soil vintage’, one that spoke of the deep-rooted vines of what the estate refers to as Domaine Cristal, a range of 45 plots across seven grand cru villages that are farmed organically and biodynamically.
The grapes that make it into Cristal must be from vines older than 20 years in order to express both the chalkiness and salinity of these soils.
A different tone
2015 was warm, having seen a mild, wet winter followed by a hot and sunny summer which prompted both heat and water stress in the vines during a short vegetative period. The dryness of the year produced exceptionally healthy grapes with much concentration.
Lécaillon believes that there are three key stages of grape ripeness, especially for Chardonnay. A first phase in which citrus flavours dominate, a second stage where tropical fruit notes appear and a final stage that expresses the salinity of the soil.
Achieving this ripeness, combined with higher dry extract and use of old oak to build texture, were all things that enhanced freshness this year, and allowed the wine to embrace the warmth of the vintage.
All of this is evident in the 2015 Cristal, which lacks the tension of both 2013 and 2014 and is therefore one for much earlier drinking.
The house itself notes that the 2015 Cristal ‘resonates with a different tone to that of previous vintages’.
The winemaking
Cristal 2015 was, for the first time since 2002, selected from all 45 dedicated Cristal plots, with 40% of Chardonnay from Avize, Cramant and Mesnil-sur-Oger and 60% of Pinot Noir from Aÿ, Verzenay, Verzy and Beaumont-sur-Vesle, harvested between 7 and 20 September.
A quarter of the base wines were fermented and aged in used oak, while malolactic fermentation was blocked to retain brightness.
It was disgorged in 2022 with a dosage of 7g/L, after seven years of ageing on lees and a further 12 months of bottle ageing before release.
While Cristal 2015 has the house’s trademark elegance and drinks deliciously from the off, it lacks the essential x-factor that usually makes Cristal so haunting, exciting and beguiling.
Cristal 2015 retails at £320 a bottle in the UK.
Anne Krebiehl MW tastes and rates Cristal 2015:
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