Roederer Cristal: That ’70s Show
BY ANTONIO GALLONI |
I have had many memorable tastings at Roederer over the years, but this vertical of Cristals from the 1970s might go down as the most remarkable yet. For the occasion, longtime Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon pulled out all of the Cristals of the 1970s, nine wines in total, all of which we tasted from the original disgorgements. The wines were moving for their extraordinary beauty. Like many Chefs de Caves, Lécaillon considers the 1970s the last decade of Champagne as it once was, before a wave of modernization swept the region beginning in the 1980s. One of the biggest changes during this inflection point was a significant increase in production that was brought on by new, higher-yielding clones.
First created in 1876 as a special high-end cuvée for Tsar Alexander II, Cristal is one of Champagne’s most iconic wines and Roederer’s flagship. The distinctive transparent glass bottle (originally lead crystal) adds to Cristal’s allure. In most vintages, Cristal is approximately 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay sourced from a collection of estate vineyards in Verzenay, Verzy, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ for the Pinots, and Avize, Mesnil and Cramant for the Chardonnays.
Proprietor Jean-Claude Rouzaud, who oversaw winemaking until the late 1980s, bottled Cristal nine times during the 1970s, more than any other decade in recent history. In the 1970s Cristal was mostly fermented in steel, with a small amount of wine (around 10%) that was vinified in oak. The exception is the 1970, which was done entirely in oak. None of the 1970s Cristals had any malolactic fermentation, which is one of the factors that contributes to how well the wines have aged. Malolactic fermentation would not be introduced at Roederer until the 1980s. The 1970s Cristals were all aged on crown cap, with the exception of the 1970, which was aged on cork. The fermentation and aging of the 1970 make it gateway to the 1960s, another decade in Champagne’s Golden Era. Dosage was around 12 grams per liter, higher than the 8-9 that is common today, which also helped the wines age gracefully in bottle. For more on Roederer’s history, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon’s background other recent developments, including Roederer’s transition towards biodynamic farming, readers might want to revisit Roederer Cristal Rosé: A Journey Through Time 1976-2007.
I have had many memorable tastings at Roederer over the years, but this vertical of Cristals from the 1970s might go down as the most remarkable yet. For the occasion, longtime Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon pulled out all of the Cristals of the 1970s, nine wines in total, all of which we tasted from the original disgorgements. The wines were moving for their extraordinary beauty.
