Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2005
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Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Lively, uninterrupted bubbles, with a steady creamy flow. An intensely elegant, rich, ripe bouquet. A succession of white fruits (apple), ripe and juicier yellow fruits (peaches) and slightly sour citrus fruits (mandarin oranges). The quite typical Chardonnay notes appear after a few minutes: white flowers (acacia), dried fruit, buttery caramel hints, suggestive of almost vanilla-like pastries. The bouquet is striking: its has great aromatic freshness but is already very open and mature. The bite is full-bodied, soft and winey. It gives a well-rounded, almost smooth impression with ripe sun-drenched white and yellow fruits. The flavors are typical of Chardonnay: accessible, rich, fleshy fruit combined with warm, almost buttery hints. The measured bubbles and fresh limestone quality 'stretch' in the mouth, giving a pure, graceful impression. The finish is slightly tighter with a delicious, lingering, sensuous and almost sweet taste. This Cristal 2005 stands out from all other Cristal vintages due to its aromatic openness and typical Chardonnay character. The ripe 2005 grapes produced wines of a unique nature, combining wininess with long-lasting quality, elegance and consistency. It is even reminiscent of a few Burgundy-like delights.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Fabulous nose with great blood orange intensity neatly framed by brioche. On the extravagant and concentrated palate this has whiplash vibrancy yet somehow marries this to a taut elegance. Extremely long finish with dangerous freshness for this age! Literally takes your breath away.
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Wine Enthusiast
The iconic Roederer Champagne, Cristal’s latest release, brings a perfect balance of richness and age worthiness. It is full of apple flavor, and the mousse is very fine and almost imperceptible.
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Wine & Spirits
Every vintage can't be 2002, or even 2004. Even so, this is pretty great, an open, airy, whip-smart delivery of Cristal's spark, a wine of formidable delicacy. The undertow is there, drawing down a wave of spicy oak notes and heady crème caramel to reveal glints of limestone, the bright shimmer of acidity sustained by the cool rootedness in the soil. In 45 words of my notes on this wine, there's not a single mention of fruit. Instead, they focus on brightness, subtlety, lusty juiciness, balance and mouthwatering complexity.
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Wine Spectator
Vibrant and mouthwatering, this offers a range of patisserie pear and apple fruit, candied lemon zest, pastry dough and marzipan notes set on a finely detailed texture, which imparts a great deal of finesse. The lasting finish echoes a smoky mineral note. Drink now through 2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Cristal is drinking very well, and it stands out as a fine effort in this challenging year for Champagne. Offering up aromas of crisp orchard fruit, nectarine, freshly baked bread and subtle hints of honeycomb, it's medium to full-bodied, elegantly fleshy and incisive, with racy acids and a pearly mousse, concluding with a long, chalky finish.
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Uncompromising Quality
Champagne Louis Roederer was founded in 1776 in Reims, France and is one of the rare family owned companies, which is still managed by the Roederer family. In 1833, Louis Roederer inherited the company from his uncle and renamed the company under his namesake. Under his leadership, the company rapidly grew while remaining true to their philosophy of uncompromising quality. Today, the company is under the helm of Jean-Claude Rouzaud and his son Frédéric who continue to place quality before quantity.
First-Rate Vineyards
Champagne Louis Roederer is one of the only French champagne producers to own nearly 75 percent of the grapes in the most desirable vineyards in the Champagne. The property is located on 450 acres in the finest villages of Montagne de Reims, Côtes des Blancs, and Valleé de la Marne. Each region is selected to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with the elegance needed for perfectly balanced champagne. The Louis Roederer vineyards rate an average 98 percent based on France’s statutory 100-point classification scale.
The reserve wine is then tasted and graded by a team of Roederer specialists. They choose as many as 40 different wines from several lots for the blend. For the final touch, the wine is then added in order to enhance the cuvee and guarantee consistency while retaining the champagne's characteristics.