2009 Louis Roederer Cristal
Buying options
Tasting notes
At 15 years of age, the ripe nose is just now beginning to display hint of maturity with some secondary development on the toasty, yeasty and citrus confit-suffused aromas of mostly white orchard fruit and acacia blossom. There is good richness to the relatively full-bodied and generously proportioned flavors that are supported by a fine mousse that is just sufficient to keep the proper balance on the beautifully complex finale. While I wouldn't call 2009 a classic vintage for Cristal, it's far better than the majority of luxury marques. I would add that for my taste, even in this massive format, this is already enjoyable though it should hold for the next two decades, perhaps even longer!
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
John Gilman, View From The Cellar
More reviews and scores
Wonderful maturing nose of beautifully ripe golden autumn fruits and just a whiff of floral honey, this is rich, mouth-filling and graceful with silky acidity and a long caressing finish that is underlined by a delicate chalkiness. Very easy to enjoy. It still has a lively fine mousse. (SP)
The 2009 Cristal is a wine of pure and total sensuality. There are no hard edges or angular contours. Instead, the solar energy of the year is front and center. Even with all that intensity, the 2009 is impeccably balanced from start to finish. The 2009 is one of the most forward, sensual Cristals in recent memory. It has always been quite seductive, as it is today. Its resonant, engaging personality is impossible to resist. (AG)
Disgorged in 2016, dosage 8 g/l. 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, 16% of the cuvée is fermented in oak. Six years spent on the lees. Big and less precise than the 2012 and 2013. A little sweet and broad. Released before the 2008. Just a little loose. (JR)