Cristal Vinothèque 2004
A Cristal “taken further”
This is the story of a “laboratory of time”, one which pushes back time a little more each day and ushers in a new era for Cristal.
The laboratory of time
Cristal is a titan: it is a wine that comes together slowly, born of a place, forged by an origin, fashioned both by Nature and the hand of Man.
This invaluable and precisely measured ageing process gives Cristal Vinothèque its stature; it determines the future of the wine and guides it with wisdom and precision. Precisely attuned to the vintage and the weather conditions over the year, and expertly crafted by the cellar master, the champagne will come together over a patient, two-decade ageing process.
« Majestic at birth, and magnificent at full maturity, Cristal is only revealed to those who are patient, as its window of beauty is twenty years of age. »
A bespoke creation in three steps
A long period of resting sur lattes, in the darkness and silence of the cellars
First comes a long period of resting on the lees: this preparatory phase enables the wine’s aromas to develop and its structure to become more complex. Cristal Vinothèque 2004 therefore rested for nine years sur lattes, resulting in a beautifully balanced structure, underpinned by a generous vintage that marries maturity with freshness.
Dynamic ageing sur pointe – the expression of Louis Roederer’s expertise
The dynamic ageing sur pointe, which concentrates the wine’s components, slows time and reduces the risk of premature ageing. Unlike static ageing sur pointe, which does not involve rotation, this operation is carried out entirely by hand on horizontal racks - a hallmark of the Louis Roederer Champagne House and unique in Champagne.
Created in 2000 by cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, this innovative flat rack system allows the yeast to settle evenly in the neck of the bottle, creating a natural and effective barrier against oxygen. This dynamic sur pointe operation is crucial as it allows the wine to concentrate and evolve into something even more refined.
The waiting period under cork, a final phase of integration
Then comes the final waiting period under cork. Once disgorged, the wine - now in perfect condition for its last stage of ageing - is preserved in our cellars. The dosage added by the cellar master is lower than that of an original Cristal - 1 to 2 grams less - resulting in a champagne that is both more mature and more intense. This dosage serves as a passport for the journey to follow.
A further 2 to 6 years of ageing are then generally needed for all the elements to meld and come together in a single harmonious expression. For Cristal Vinothèque 2004, this meant another 6 years of ageing after disgorgement.
« Cristal Vinothèque then reveals its velvety texture, depth and richness. »
Cristal Vinothèque 2004 – freshness, time after time
Cristal Vinothèque 2004 reaffirms Cristal’s hallmark freshness, power and intensity. Twenty years of patient ageing in the depths of our chalk cellars have forged a wine of unique character, now at the pinnacle of its expression.
From a cool, balanced and remarkably generous vintage, with empyreumatic maturations attained at the end of the cycle, Cristal 2004 possessed all the qualities of a Cristal “taken further” from the outset. The perfect maturity of the grapes, combined with the year’s generosity and exceptional concentration of flavour, is expressed in wines of outstanding promise, remarkable freshness and deep, concentrated textures that have reached us today almost perfectly intact.
Beyond the boundaries of time
Cristal Vinothèque now presents itself to us in a new light; it is a brilliant creation, the bounty of Nature guided by Man, and a unique know-how that deepens the wine’s concentration and texture, while preserving its remarkable freshness.
This extra impetus imparted by time, this twenty-year patina, reveals itself to us in a Cristal with a different character, upholstered by the warm notes from its ageing and preserving its aromatic concentration and vinous depth within an astonishing complexity.
« It is a collaborative work of art, masterfully orchestrated with foresight and intuition, guided by Nature, which, each year, presents us with a new challenge. It embodies the timelessness of the Champagne region, hand in hand with a bespoke ageing regime; a double mechanic, a symbiosis of the spirit of a place and time, which creates the identity of this exceptional champagne. »