So, if I understand this correctly, it would seem that we had one of the late releases of the very last disgorgement or just after although the vintage was outside the oval so maybe we had the real LR.
The dosage was 9 gpl which is much more in harmony with the super sweetness of our bottle.
So there is less confusion as to where the vintage is shown on later vintages of regular releases, I just recovered an email I received from Roederer on 6/28/21 that responded to my question as to when the vintages were shown outside of the oval. Here’s their response:
"Bonjour Blake,
Thank you for sharing your great champagne experience and your questions.
Our “new” Louis Roederer Cristal Label (the vintage is written OUTSIDE of the oval logo) started with the vintage 2009 (commercialized by 2017), followed by 2008 (we released after 2009), 2012 … The only Late Release also with this “new” label is the Cristal 2002.
In your picture, the Cristal 2006 (with the vintage INSIDE the oval logo) is the “regular” Cristal which was sold by 2014, 2015.
We understand it might create some confusion, we have a winemaker who is dictated only by his well-exercised palate.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to let us know. In the meantime, enjoy life and Champagne!"
Blake,
2014 would be a very late disgorgement for the 2002 Late Release. Most of these bottles were disgorged around 2010 and released from the cellars in 2018. I haven’t seen one disgorged that late, but I’m not surprised as Roederer was experimenting a bit with the 2002 Cristal. Your wine is a the true, real, official Late Release Cristal from 2002. I actually don’t like the name Late Release as Roederer has different late releases of the same wine that are very different from each other. Confused yet!?!
Brad,
I’m less confused and also busting myself for not marking the bottle beyond a sticky note that became dislodged in order to avoid just what happened and also remembering information gathered only 5 years ago which clarify the Late Release issue much better.
Thanks for your identifying our bottle and sharing your insights on the houses’s policy re their LR.
Cheers,
Blake
Blake,
The great (and frustrating) thing about wine is that we are always learning. My jaw dropped in December when I learned exactly how different some of the 2002 Cristal Late Releases were from others and how this winemaking method was now going to become an “official” release. I can also tell you that many folks seem to like the original Cristals (original and later releases) than the official Late Releases which are a different wine to me. Different strokes for different folks, but all are still good.
well noted and a nice time of the year to visit!
Just to note that Blake’s email from Roederer referred to the 2006 vintage having a disgorgement date of 2014, not the 2002 vintage. More confusion.
I picked up a case back in '21 which were disgorged in Sept '12 and released July '18. From what I remember from the discussions that we’ve had about this over the last few years, people have shown bottles disgorged anywhere from '10 to '14.
They seem to have done several Late Release disgorgements. From the bottles that I have opened, they are incredibly fresh and lithe, considering the age, but require some air to show their best. Maybe all that extra time on the lees has put them into a deep slumber. I typically give them 3 to 4 hours of air and they have all shown beautifully.
Chiming in with additional love for the Sophienwald Essential glasses, we use those for our Di Costanzo tastings and have for a few years. Big fans!
I’m also a big fan of these glasses. They can be put in washing machine no problem.
Two provisos:
If I remember correctly the brand was involved in a European copyright dispute with Zalto. Not sure what resolution was/is. They are very Zalto like in weight and dimension with slightly shorter stems.
The owner/US importer offered me free glasses to promote the stemware on message boards/among influencers a few years back. I declined. Not sure if there are new owners/importers.
At any rate, these are my preferred glasses for drinking Burgundy.
as they are for me, for both white and red Burgundy
Had to make sure those were pulled out when i came to taste 
