I`m posting revised notes for this wine as it was not noted specifically in the thread title of another post where it was included with other Cristals and becasue it’s a rare champagne that many may have heard of but not had:
2002 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL BRUT LATE RELEASE- this was tasted blind against the 06, 08 and 09` and it was so outrageously bigger and bolder than the others, it stood out above and beyond. As we might expect from a champagne that has an additional 7 years sur lee, it’s really a huge statement all the way through and overwhelming at this early stage. The color was a darker yellow gold. It had very mature fruit, serious viscosity and weight and was just clumsy and awkward and truthfully, just not ready to drink IMHO. This was somewhat mindful of the first few bottles of the 2008 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne only that one was at least somewhat approachable and drinkable and according to a recent post, it’s coming around and shining. This one was really difficult to get through.
The LR was a re-release in March, 2021 of the original 2010 disgorgement; only twice has this house used all 42 plots that are reserved for Cristal in a wine and this is one and the 2015 is the other; the blend is 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay which is a deviation from the usual 60/40. Also it’s not noted on the bottler as being a Late Release. The only difference is the vintage is in the upper right corner instead of in the oval in the middle of the label. The photo size is too large to include here, but I have another bottle and when I get home, I’ll shoot a pic of that one.
And thanks for the pic that clearly shows the vintage in the upper right hand corner which BTW is true for a few other “regular” bottles. On the night this was tasted, we had the 06 which had the vintage in the middle and the 08 and 09` which had it the same as with this LR. I’m inquiring from the house as to why the difference.
Blake you have to be careful with the labels on the late release Roederers. They exist in both the old label format (with the vintage in the middle over the LR logo) and the new format with the vintage on the upper right of the label. It all depends on when the wines were labeled and then shipped from Roederer. The late releases (1999, 2002, 2004 are the most common) first came out in 2018 and sported the old label format just as they originaly did. As Roederer has continued to release them, they have changed the labels to match the new format. This makes it easy to identify the bottles vs. the original release and fits in with the rest of the Cristal label scheme.
In terms of disgorgement of the bottles, both label types were disgorged around the same time - either the final disgorgement of the original release or around a year after. As both label types share disgogement dates, the dosage is also the same. The difference is in when they left the Roederer cellars which dictates which label is on the bottle. Also, the QR code/lot number gives you all the info via the Roederer app so you can figure out what is what without worrying about the bottle dress.
Thanks so much Brad. It’s obviously quite confusing. It will be interesting to see what the response is from the house that I sent out earlier today. And, I’ll look up the code for more specifics.
As I stated in the first post and according to what I found on their website, they only mention the 02` LR is a re-release in March, 2021 of the original 2010 disgorgement.
BTW, have you had this? I was really surprised at what it drank like and can only surmise it is best to wait and revisit later on, whatever that translates to in terms of time.
Brad et al,
Just looked up the code, L047831E100178, on the Roederer website and it’s not all that informative. It doesn’t even ID it as being the LR. Simply states it was disgorged in 2009 and more about the Czar.
Thanks Brad.
If I’m not misunderstanding, the only difference between the initial release and the late release is when they left the winery. There’s no additional time on the lees. So if I purchased a 2002 on its release and cellared it properly, there shouldn’t be much difference between that and the late release (for which I paid a lot more!).
Please correct me if that’s wrong.
Cheers,
Warren.
The answer is ‘kinda-sorta’. In theory and very often in reality, you are correct. In general, the best bargain in Champagne is to buy on release and cellar vs. buying late releases/disgorgements. The two end products are different, but as long as the original release of the wine saw sufficient lees aging I have often found I prefer it as it ages to a late release/disgorgement or, at least, find it to be close in quality and a far better value than paying 2-3X (or more) for the later release/disgorgement version.
2002 Cristal is an interesting case as I have always felt that this wine was not given appropriate lees aging for most of the original release. All of the original release 2002 Cristals that I have had were disgorged in 2007-2009. All of the late releases that I have seen or tasted have been from 2009 or 2010. This additional lees aging makes a big difference especially with 2002 Cristal as I always felt the original release disgorgements were done far too early - espeically the 2007 disgorgements. I feel that with each year of extra lees aging, the 2002 Cristal gained depth and added in more creamy, round notes. For my palate, with each year of additional lees aging, 2002 Cristal got better. There was a big jump in quality to me between the 2007 and 2008 disgorgements and then another increase to 2009 and 2010.
I’m not going to say that this is the case with all of the late release Cristals as a number of factors come into play especially with the 2002. There is a much bigger difference between the late releases and the 2007 disgorgements of the 2002 Cristal than what you will see when comparing the late releases to an original release 2009 disgorgement (assuming storage has been correct).
Where buying late releases makes the most sense is when you want to buy a wine and want to ensure provenance. You know where the late release wine has been for its entire life. You pay for it, but you get this certainty. The other aspect is the different flavor expression of the late release/disgorgement vs. the original release. That can be quite fun, but, again, you pay a premium for the experience. With Louis Roederer, there is a much bigger difference in flavor profile with the Vinotheque late disgorgement/late release wines, but they sell at a very large premium - around 5-6X original release price.
Another aspect of late releases/disgorgements that we are beginning to see is a completely different handling of the wine for the late release/disgorgement. It used to be that most folks just did a late disgorgement or late release of a wine to meet demand and get a premium. There wasn’t a whole lot of thought put into the when and how of this. Today, we are seeing a lot more thought put into late releases in terms of time of the lees, closure for the second fermentation, bottle position when aging on the lees, timing of disgorgement, post-disgorgement aging time before release, etc… A lot of Chamagne producers do their best to make their wine as good as it can be for the original release, but now are using the late release/disgorgement program as a way to express what they would have done with a vintage had they had the ability to do anything. Supply, demand, and general business needs dictate a certain pattern to original releases even if it isn’t always optimum. Late release/disgorgement programs like the Louis Roederer Vinothque, Dom Ruinart Reserve, and even the DP Plentitudes allow more freedom to chase even higher heights for the wine.
Excellent points and clarification Brad. Obviously it really helps to know disgorgement dates/ length of time on the lees. That’s why label disclosure is so important.
Much appreciated as always.
I agree that they could do a much better job with the app in terms of telling you if a wine was late release vs. original release. The app gives you a lot of generalizations and a good high level overview, but isn’t necessarily exact. Things like grape composition and dosage are more guidance than exacts and a more specific disgorgment timeframe would be nice.
Zachary, my suggestion is to start with the vintage Cristal, preferably the 09` which has been showing really good since release. Once you’ve tasted a few of the different vintages, you can see if your palate will enjoy something that is twice the depth and complexity as the Late Release is. 2004 was just an OK vintage for Cristal IMHO, but any Cristal is good.
