1999 Champagne Louis Roederer, Cristal Vinothèque, Rosé, Brut

Magnum. Disgorged in 2016.

Rich and dense and round. An alluring sweetness and so flattering.

Drink 2022 - 2035

Dosage is 7-8 grams per litre. Disgorged in 2016.

The 1999 Cristal Rosé Vinothèque is an extraordinarily delicate, transparent Champagne that blurs the line between Champagne and wine. The mousse is so refined, almost as if it wrapped within a ball of Pinot fruit. In 1999, the Rosé is 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, the Pinots from 2 blocks in Aÿ and the Chardonnays from one block each in Avize and Mesnil.

For the Rosé, the Pinot is done as a saignée that infused into the white wine. That requires picking the Pinots on the riper side riper than for the Blanc), and it is likely elevated maturity in the fruit that tilts the Vinothèque into the more vinous realm. The 1999 is an exquisite wine laced with the essence of red berry fruit, rose petal, mint, orange zest and a touch of spice.

Drink 2020 - 2030

The 1999 Cristal Rosé Vinothèque spent seven years sur lattes and seven years sur pointes before disgorgement in 2013. Bursting with aromas of dried citrus peel, pomelo, white cherries, fresh pastry, iodine and beeswax, it's medium to full-bodied, vinous and fleshy, with a chalky backbone that enlivens the wine's textural, muscular profile, concluding with a long and sapid finish. Again, there's an extra dimension here beyond what the 1999 Cristal—impressive in its own right—achieves. Fully mature, this will drink well for the better part of two decades.

Drink 2019 - 2035

To make this rosé, Pinot Noir from two of Roederer’s parcels in Aÿ was lightly macerated before being blended with two grand cru parcels of Chardonnay. The result is a pale, elegantly fragrant Champagne, marked by a silky refinement and a subtle, detailed complexity. Like the 1999 Cristal blanc, this rosé feels broader and more generous than the original release, although it remains tense and energetic on the finish, infused by prominent notes of chalk.

Drink 2020 - 2030

Disgorged in 2014 after seven years sur latte and seven years sur pointe.

The complexity of chocolate, toasted almonds, praline, burnt toffee, mushrooms and earth here is stunning. There’s a beautiful, spiced cherry-biscuit edge, too. The palate has a suave, supple and silky feel with such fleshy depth and drive. It is so melted together in flavours, so succulently textural, and full of dried-strawberry flavour. Long with plenty of time ahead.

Drink or hold