Cristal 2009 and the Roederer difference

True to itself with its distinctive traits of regal elegance that make it always so desirable, and yet so different: it is the Cristal différence, an announced epochal change the results of which are beginning to take shape. It was a complex and profound project that Maison Roederer and, in particular, its owner Frédéric Rouzeaud strongly desired, embracing a path which Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon maintained was obligatory to preserve the future of winemaking in Champagne.

Last Thursday in Milan – thanks to the exclusive importer to Italy Sagna – not only was the much awaited Cristal 2009 presented, with its new essential habillage, but the evolution of the revolution at Maison Roederer was illustrated. Like all great tales of subversion, this revolution began from the bottom, in other words the earth, with nature as the lead player with its cycles contributing to creating great cuvées. It all began with the millions of years needed to create the characteristic chalk soil, white and rich in fossils, while over the seasons everything proceeded according to a balance in the vineyard between rest and rebirth, while in the winery the vins clairs were made. Then there are the phases of the moon which since the time of the monks determined events in the vineyard like pruning and the application of organic manure from cows that were raised in a healthy way. The manure is buried during the winter to then be dug up and used in the spring as a natural fertilizer in the vineyard.

This is what is at the base of the revolution taking place at Maison Roederer, where farming methods in the vineyards are now 90% either organic or biodynamic depending on the terroir. And the most extraordinary aspect of this conversion, which has been taking place over the past ten years, is that starting with vintage 2015 Cristal will be produced exclusively with grapes from 45 organic Grand Cru parcels the Maison owns and this without losing an iota of the wine’s DNA distinguished by its elegance, depth and finesse.

The expressive boldness and substance found in Cristal 2009 today is undoubtedly the product of a sun-filled year that saw a rigidly cold and dry winter followed by a splendid summer with little precipitation in August and September that allowed the grapes to be healthy and ripen fully. It was for this reason that Maison Roederer decided to bring out Cristal 2009 ahead of Cristal 2008, the product of a cold harvest that Lecaillon has decided to keep in the cellar for at least ten years.

Related Products