2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut- France, Champagne (12/29/2018)
Given recent showings of other '08’s, I had half expected this to be tight and unyielding. It was wide-open and quite stunning. There is serious complexity to the nose, starting with baker’s yeast, working through some spice then presenting the full gamut of citrus fruits. The palate is rich and full but light as a feather. Pin head sized bubbles whip up a frenzy of flavour. There’s a note reminiscent to Bickford’s brown lime cordial and the finish has great lemon and chalk cut. Length is fantastic.
GENUINE thanks for the note, it’s important to me as a bubblehead…a bubblehead that realistically can’t justify the splashy price of such a popular bottling but that doesn’t make me want to try it any less though…
Jeremy, I’m so happy you opened a bottle that actually lived up to the enormous hype its received. I’ve opened 3 bottles and none have really approached the level of hope I had. Many friends have placed bricks on my head and tried my hands behind my back to stay away and allow for it to evolve into the state of nirvana I expect.
Cheers
opened tonight, more orange than lemon, orchard fruits, very approachable and generous. Fine refined mousse, balanced, and long. A bit of a bitterness like stone fruit pit on the finish, but I find that that characteristic fades with time. A lovely champagne.
Not where my disposable income will go, although I’m tempted.
I think 2008 is one of the very great vintages. I’m tippling the basic bottling from one of the two growers I represent at an alarming rate. The other grower won’t release until next fall at the earliest and I’m salivating.
Blake was the one who generously treated me to my lone taste of it this year, back in July:
"2008 Roederer Cristal
Blake treated us to the brand-new release. Bouquet has mineral up the wazoo. Salinity is there as well for me, a lot yet to go in terms of aromatics. Hard to assess on palate, so piercingly young, but seems like it has all the components to be a very good version of Cristal. Much thanks for sharing."
This was the bottle I selected as a present for myself for my 50th b-day recently.
I agree. In the relatively “early” stages of the best wines from growers and top quality NMs, this is shaping up to be a fun and fascinating comparison. My early take is that 12 has blossomed more early (like a more interesting 09 - not that I don’t respect good 09), but 08 will accelerate slowly, catch and surpass.
I dont think it will be close… most of the producers I’ve spoken to believe 2008 is superior. Additionally, many in the cote de Blanc indicated 2013 will be better than 2012. 2018 is the one that could blow them all away, but it’s early days …
It was… it was going to be a nightmare until the last month or so. I was in Champagne at the time and I remember the amazement from some of the wine makers, particularly those with Pinot.
Oh, of course. There’s littke question about the raw materials of 08, but they’re a little like 05 Burgundy in that they are lovely wines that will still take considerable time to knit together. The 12s are very precocious and joyful. A comparison between the Lilbert 08 and 12 shows this quite well.