Cristal launches ‘underrated’ vintage

Champagne Louis Roederer has released its Cristal prestige cuvée from the “underrated” 2007 vintage.

Speaking to the drinks business last month during a preview of the Champagne, cellarmaster Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon said that the 2007 vintage reputation was not as good as it deserved to be.

“2007 is an underrated vintage, and that’s for two reasons,” he began.

Firstly, he ascribed the year’s lesser standing to Bordeaux, where the 2007 harvest was one of the weakest of the last decade.

“Bordeaux, for some reason, does set the image of the vintage,” he commented.

Secondly, he said that few Champagne houses were promoting the 2007 vintage because they are already storing a lot of vintage Champagne from previous harvests.

“It’s also a question of stock: after 2004, 2005 and 2006, there is a lot of stock – and it’s the same reason why some [houses] didn’t make a 2009, which is a great shame as it is a fantastic vintage [2009 followed the extremely high quality, and high yielding 2008 vintage in Champagne].”

Roederer’s latest prestige cuvée launch follows the release of Cristal from the warmer 2006 harvest, prompting Lecaillon to emphasise 2007’s “fresh” character.

Describing it as “beautiful, fresh and pure” he told db, “I like this kind of fresh vintage, because to me, it highlights the chalky DNA of Cristal,” referring to the limestone sub-soils of Roederer’s best vineyards, which are used for growing the grapes for the prestige cuvée.

Cristal 2007 comprises 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay, with 15% of the wines for the vintage cuvée matured in oak barrels with weekly batonnage, although none of the wines for Cristal go through malolactic fermentation.

Cristal is a blend of grands crus from Louis Roederer’s top biodynamically-farmed vineyards in the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs.

It is matured for five years in Roederer’s cellars, including 12 months resting after disgorging. It has a dosage of 9g/l.