1982 Cristal

A recent vertical of 1980s Cristals was the third chapter in a remarkable series of tastings I have been fortunate to experience at Roederer over the last few years. In each of those occasions, I have come away with a deeper understanding of what makes Cristal and Cristal Rosé so special. For this tasting, longtime Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon presented a complete vertical of the 1980s Cristals, all from the original disgorgements. (Cristal was not released in 1984, 1986 or 1987.) As much as I hope the accompanying tasting notes will be of interest to Vinous readers, Lécaillon’s comments on the vintages, a group of wines that chronicle an age in which so much in Champagne evolved – most notably farming practices and the encroachment of climate change – are a precious contribution to our collective culture and understanding of these wines and Champagne more broadly. 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. 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. Readers who want to learn more about the history of Roederer and Cristal may want to revisit my articles Roederer Cristal: That ’70s Show and Roederer Cristal Rosé: A Journey Through Time 1976-2007.

These wines were tasted over dinner at Marea in October of 2014.

The first [Italian Wine Weekend[ (http://vinous.com/articles/italian-wine-weekend-at-del-posto-nov-2009) was held in New York City on November 12-14, 2009. The event, loosely based on Daniel Johnnes’s La Paulée, was held to benefit the Slow Food University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy. As might be expected for any event in its first year, there were some rough spots, but both dinners I attended at Del Posto were packed. The charity auction raised almost $400,000 for the University, a great achievement by any measure. I am particularly grateful to the generous bidders who purchased the two dinner lots I was involved with. I hope the organizers, participating restaurants and wineries will make Italian Wine Weekend an annual tradition.

Cristal, first created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II of Russia, is one of the most iconic wines of Champagne. Sometimes lost in the glamorous image the wine has acquired over its long history is the fact that Cristal also happens to be a serious Champagne that is capable of aging extraordinarily well. I recently sat down with Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon to survey a collection of vintages. The wines were grouped in pairs meant to represent Cristal in three distinct stages; mature, peak and young. This was an incredible opportunity to compare some of the legendary Cristals side by side, and to revisit a few personal favorites, like the 1979, which was one of the standouts in a recent horizontal tasting that included nearly all of that vintage's top wines. Lecaillon's goal with Cristal is to make an ageworthy Champagne that is fresh and floral when young, but that is also capable of considerable development with bottle age, qualities the finest Cristals have in spades. Unfortunately because of its rabid following the vast majority of Cristal is drunk upon release, which is ironic, if not downright tragic, considering Cristal is a wine that starts peaking around age 15-20, and that can last much longer under ideal storage conditions.
Much of Roederer's success with Cristal (and the other wines in the lineup) can be attributed to a reliance on 214 hectares of estate-owned vineyards that supply all of the top bottlings. In recent years the focus has been on consolidating plots within the best appellations as well as a move towards a more natural and sustainable approach to viticulture. Cristal is always a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sourced from the house's finest plots, with Pinot playing the leading role. For Cristal the Pinot comes mostly from Aÿ, Mareuil, Verzenay and Verzy, although on occasion a touch of Bouzy fruit is used as well. The Chardonnay is sourced from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Avize, a pretty impressive collection of villages, to say the least. In most vintages a portion of the wine is aged in oak, with frequent stirring of the lees, a technique used to give the wine an added dimension of richness. The exact amount of wood aging is a function of the qualities of the fruit each year. The estate takes a similar approach to malolactic fermentation, which may or may not take place, depending on the vintage. Dosage is generally around 12-13 grams. In recent years dosage has come down slightly as Lecaillon believes that today's weather conditions allow for better ripening than was possible in prior generations, and therefore the wines require less dosage. Roederer does not believe in a late-disgorged approach, but some bottles are kept on hand for tastings such as this one that have been disgorged relatively recently. Lecaillon says these bottles “preserve the memory of the vintage.” Recently disgorged bottles of Cristal see about 8 grams of dosage, which is quite a bit less than what is used for current releases. Fans of Cristal can look forward to vintages 2004, 2005 2006 and 2007. At this early stage it is too soon to tell, but 2008 will at the very least be a vintage year at Roederer.