Timing is everything, and fortunately my visit to Roederer turned out to be very well-timed. Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon prepared an incredible tasting of the estate’s 2009 vins claires that provided a rare glimpse into the base wines that make up the house’s top bottlings. I also had a chance to taste several of the just-bottled 2009s in their final blends and the 2004 Cristal and Cristal Rosé, both of which are scheduled to be released later this year.