1989 Cristal Rosé
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Tasting notes
This was a very warm vintage, harvested from 5th September, and the wine technically doesn’t have high acidity – yet is a wine of impressive freshness. Grilled hazelnuts edge a nose of candied orange peel and pomegranate, and a coffee note that emerges with air. There’s a liveliness to the palate here, even over three decades on, with a gorgeous freshness and creaminess to the mousse. The fruit on the palate is lush, with generous mouth-watering peach and a taut, mineral backbone. It’s amazing how young this tastes still. Dosage 12g/l, tasted from magnum.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 1989 Cristal Rosé is one of the greatest wines ever made at Roederer. It does not disappoint in this tasting. The bouquet alone is mesmerizing. A Champagne of unreal complexity, the 1989 captivates all the senses, from the intellectual to the hedonistic, with a stunning mix of intense ripe fruit and soaring aromatics. The 1989 Rosé has always been a dark horse in the trio of 1988, 1989 and 1990. Today, it is stellar. Perhaps more importantly, the 1989 represents an inflection point for Roederer. It was a very hot year, so much so that cooling systems broke down. For the first time, the winemaking team was forced to use dry ice to cool the fruit. The cooling effect was stronger than anticipated, which resulted in a sort of cold-soak that lasted a few days. This experience led Roederer to lower temperatures in fermentation significantly in the years that followed. Dosage is 10 grams per liter. Disgorged: July 2007.
A hot growing season, like the 1976 it was served alongside. The year Lécaillon arrived (though was not yet in charge). Harvest started 5 September with a potential alcohol of almost 12%! (10.5% average in 2024 apparently.) Dosage 10 g/l. Magnum. Incredibly lively, youthful colour for a wine of this age from a hot year. Extraordinary drive with a hint of prunes. Long and with some mushroom flavours. (JR)
An explosion of aromas, flavors and textures emerges from the 1989 Cristal Rosé (magnum). In this warm vintage the Pinot is especially evident in the wine’s intensity, color and sheer breadth. A Champagne of striking inner perfume and sweetness, the 1989 caresses the palate with stunning depth and seemingly endless resonance. Sweet floral and spice notes lead into the creamy, exquisitely beautiful finish. What a surprise and what a wine! Moreover, the 1989 appears to still be ascending. In this tasting, it is just riveting. It’s as simple as that. This is a 2002 disgorgement.