France, Champagne
Vinyard: 100% Grand Cru
Grape: 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay
Vintage: 2000
Ageing: 5 years on the lees
Disgorged: 2007 Dosage: 10 g/l
Tasting Note: A golden yellow with ultra-fine energetic bubbles. On the nose there is intense and subtle hints of fresh almonds and a slight floral note, revealing peaches and more intense chocolate and caramel aromas. On the palate a fleshy initial taste of fruits leads to a minerality on the mid-palate combined with a crispness that hails the exceptional Chardonnay grapes in the blend. A champagne that has improved with age and is sure to develop further.
Weather: The 2000 vintage was seen by many as a miraculous year. The vines were hit by heavy rain, storms and hail in the winter, leaving a successful harvest on the brink. However, the vintage was saved by the hottest August and September in fifty years, providing the grapes with much needed sunshine and warmth.
As the largest independent family-managed Champagne producer, Louis Roederer rank amongst the region's absolute finest. Established in 1776, the House today is managed by seventh generation family member Frédéric Rouzaud alongside long-time Chef de Cave and Champagne legend Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. They own an astounding 242 hectares of vineyards many in chalk rich Grand Cru villages covering two-thirds of their grape requirements.
Roederer have become pioneers in biodynamic farming & by 2012 all 78 hectares the “Cristal Estates” are farmed using biodynamic methods. By 2021 Roederer have 115 hectares certified organic. All the grapes in Cristal & other vintage cuvee’s come from their own vineyards. The estate is made up of 410 plots which are fermented separately in one of the 450 stainless steel tanks in their Reims cellars. In 2020 Roederer replaced Brut Premier with “Collection” allowing each years non-vintage blend to be identified and “re-engineering” the non-vintage cuvee to maintain freshness in the light of global warming on the Champagne region. Today Cristal is, widely recognised as the world's most awarded prestige cuvée champagne.
