Louis Roederer : Cristal Rosé 2013

A candidate for wine-of-the-vintage honors in Champagne, Roederer's 2013 Cristal Rosé is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, red berries, stone fruit, freshly baked bread and tangerine oil. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, the vintage's bright girdling acids are amply cloaked in exuberant, expressive and notably concentrated fruit; so while this Cristal is as tensile and age-worthy as one would expect, it's also impressively fleshy and generous given the year. Concluding with an intensely sapid finish, the 2013 isn't as overtly structured as the muscular, tightly wound 2012: rather, it's the 2013's alliance of cut and flesh, precision and charm that's so compelling this year. This is another banner vintage for what I consider the reigning champion of the region's tête de cuvée bottlings, and it will be worth an effort to acquire.

Like an orchestra that melds the voices of many components into one compelling song, this bright rosé offers precision balance, seamlessly knitting an expressive range of ripe nectarine and raspberry fruit, Marcona almond, blood orange peel and candied ginger flavors with racy acidity and saline-laced minerality. Plush and creamy on the lasting finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2036. 154 cases imported.

It’s hardly news that Roederer’s Cristal Rosé excelled in 2013, although in magnum the sheer energy and electricity that buzzes through this effortlessly detailed, ravishing rosé is even more remarkable. Everything is placed with quiet precision here; vivid, sweet mandarin and redcurrant fruit sit in perfect harmony with salty, umami sourdough, gentle pistachio and madeleine richness and a perfectly tapering, satin-smooth mousse. There’s not a hair out of place nor a flavour singing too loudly; it’s almost impossible to pick apart, lifting and elongating on the palate almost endlessly. Set to be a true classic.

Magnums of Cristal are always released a few years after the original wine in bottle. This is subtle yet complex, with cranberry and apple aromas and flavors, as well as plenty of minerals and subtle bread-dough and gun-metal undertones. Medium body with hints of strawberry and flint. Like biting into a perfect strawberry. Drink now or hold.

If you're a Champagne lover and this doesn't do it for you, I don't know what will. A magical Champagne that's just about as good as it gets, the 2013 Cristal Rosé shows a lighter salmon hue with a rich yet subtle nose of orange blossom, white flowers, toasted brioche, and chalky minerality. It takes some coaxing but is incredibly complex aromatically, offering more spice, dried strawberry, and library book–like nuances as it rests in the glass. Richly textured on the palate, it's medium to full-bodied with surprising opulence and a great mid-palate, all balanced by a vibrant spine of acidity. It starts out seemingly soft and easygoing yet changes with air, displaying an incredible mix of suppleness, texture, and precision that’s something to behold. It can be enjoyed today or cellared for 20 to 30 years, possibly even longer.

The palette shows little expressiveness. This is a rosé restrained by the coolness of the vintage. Its sour cherry and kirsch character reveals itself sparingly. The palate retains good firmness and tension. It’s a young wine, still closed, with tannins from maceration. It needs time to relax.