WINEMAKER NOTES:
Pink hue with slightly coppery tints. Dynamic bubbles forming a lingering bead. Pure, precise and dazzling bouquet. The intense Pinot noir aromas take us back to the harvest time with its pure, ripe and concentrated fruit: zesty red berries (red currants, wild raspberries, blackcurrants) and raspberry liqueur. Then come sweet spice and smoky notes with a hint of reduction (smoky, spicy) from the Pinot noir with its notes of undergrowth. Concentrated and broad on the palate, where the red fruit (strawberries, raspberries) is concentrated into a firm, dense texture that reveals itself in two stages that reflect the year's extremes: Initially the texture is silky and broad on entry (the final ripeness) and then followed by a firm and intense freshness (the cool summer). We have a sensation of concentration, of a whirlwind of flavors that burst delicately and gradually like salt bubbles on the palate. The saline, iodine impression combines with the smoky notes and acidity to create umami and an infinitely flavorsome finish.
TASTING NOTES:
The 2014 Cristal Rose sizzles with energy. Finely cut and crystalline to the core, the 2014 is laced with striking vibrancy. Chalk, mint, white flowers, cranberry and blood orange all race across the palate. Deceptively understated and nuanced, the 2014 possesses tons of energy and captivating inner perfume. The 2014 is at the beginning of what is sure to be a very long life. I would not plan on opening a bottle for at least a few years. The style of the vintage is one built on linear intensity more than opulence, like say 2004, with captivating aromatics and a sort of inner tension that needs to resolve. As always, the Rose is done in the classic Roederer infusion style in which Pinot Noir is vinified on the skins and then blended with the Chardonnay to complete the fermentation. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: June 2022. Cristal Rose is a much smaller production made from just three parcels. Here, the preference is for riper Pinot from the Bonnotte-Pierre-Robert lieu-dit in Ay, marcerated for about a week and then infused into Chardonnays from Montmartin in Mesnil-sur-Oger and Pierre Vaudon in Avize. Naturally, this approach requires parcels that ripen in a specific sequence. Here, too, there is no malolactic fermentation. Oak is about 15% for the Rose, lower than the Blanc. Reviewed by Antonio Galloni, Issue date: March, 2023. Drinking window: 2024 - 2044.
Vinous, 97 pts.
