The 2012 vintage of Louis Roederer’s legendary Cristal cuvée completes a very, very admirable line of champagnes.
La Cuvée Cristal Louis Roederer: The 2012 Vintage
If the 2012 vintage of Louis Roederer reveals an exceptional champagne, it is because the Cristal cuvée itself shines with a history intrinsically linked to excellence.
The History Of La Cuvée Cristal Louis Roederer
Founded in Reims in 1776, the Louis Roederer house initiated its prestigious cuvée in 1776… at the request of Tsar Alexander II. Yes, it was the Tsar of Russia himself who then entrusted Louis Roederer with the development of a champagne that he wanted to be like no other – and none other than either.
The Cristal cuvée was thus produced for the exclusive consumption of the Tsars of Russia; a prestigious cuvée that also happens to be the very first of the history of champagne . What makes her so admirable? The Cristal cuvée is entirely dependent on the vagaries of the climate – produced only during the “great years” it is indeed based on the best vintages… Thus produced from old vines in property, all located from Grands Crus of the Montagne de Reims, the Marne Valley and the Côte des Blancs.
The Cristal Louis Roederer cuvée made an impression for the first time at a dinner whose name has been remembered in history. The Three Emperors Dinner, which was held in Paris during the Universal Exhibition of 1867, brought together around a table in the Café Anglais, Tsar Alexander II, Kaiser Guillaume and Chancellor Bismarck. As we can guess, the Tsar insisted on seeing on the table only the champagne specially made by Louis Roederer.
It must be said that this champagne, in addition to being cut to sublimate the taste of the Tsar, is also rich in a precious stratagem. The bottle, made by a Flemish master glassmaker, is crystal – transparent and with a flat bottom. And this flat bottom is not trivial: it prevents any risk of an attack; malicious acts that can be slipped into the bite of the bottle.
Having gone through history, the Cristal Louis Roederer cuvée is today the icon of this house. And the last “big year” to have allowed its development was none other than that of 2012.
The Cuvée Cristal Louis Roederer: The 2012 Vintage
“& nbsp; 2012 is one of the most difficult and delicate years ever encountered in Champagne. The difficulty often gives rise to great things … The low yields, the result of climatic hazards, associated with these end-of-season continental conditions, have made it possible to reach a rare and historic level of maturity giving birth to rich wines, full-bodied and structured, worthy of the greatest Champagne vintages. & nbsp; ” The Louis Roederer rating is eloquent in many ways. Especially when you know what the elaboration of the Cuvée Cristal requires.
This is how this perilous year of 2012 ended with the bottling of a powerful, fine and concentrated champagne… A champagne with a yellow gold robe, golden with shimmering reflections – its effervescence? It is said to be ultra-dynamic, almost singing by its dynamism!
Before reaching the long finish and of rare concentration, Champagne Cuvée Cristal Louis Roederer 2012 relaxes the palate with a “winey and deep allure, characteristic of all the luminous nobility of Cristal, but associated to this chalky freshness which pierces and stretches the material to give a slender fuselage of immense finesse… & nbsp; ”
A precious nectar that flows into the same crystal bottle that was once imagined for Tsar Alexander II – his coat of arms is enthroned on the neck of this much desired bottle!