2008 - Louis Roederer, Cristal Rose

The 2008 Cristal Rosé is unquestionably one of the greatest wines longtime Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon has made at Roederer. Bright saline and chalky notes run through a core of vibrant, red-toned fruit. The 2008 is tightly wound and nervous, yet it also has more than enough depth to keep it from being overly austere. Today, it is once again magnificent. Unforgettable.

The finest rendition of this cuvée that Lécaillon has produced to date—and, indeed, one of the finest wines produced by any of Champagne's important houses in the last two or three decades—is the 2008 Cristal Rosé, a brilliant wine that derives from a mere four of the 45 plots that are candidates for inclusion in Cristal: two blocks of Pinot Noir from Aÿ, one of Chardonnay from Mesnil and another from Avize, and I suspect that its origin in the crème de la crème of Roederer's Cristal-worthy holdings has even more to do with the extra dimension it possesses above and beyond its white counterpart than the delicate infusion of Pinot Noir phenolics that give it its delicate pink hue. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of wild strawberries, tangerine, warm pastry and crisp green orchard fruit, the 2008 is medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a racy but beautifully integrated spine of acidity, a multidimensional core and a searingly chalky and laser-focused finish. Impeccably balanced and harmonious, this superb wine represents one of the qualitative peaks of this great vintage. It will be seven or eight years until it truly starts to blossom, but its benchmark quality is already glaringly apparent.

From a growing season as cool as 2013 but with the added advantage of age. 2008 was Roederer's first year they were 100% certified organic. (They now have 136 ha certified.) Dosage 8 g/l. Magnum. Pale pink and super-flirtatious on the nose. Very pretty indeed – beautiful balance. Really lively and intriguingly layered. Amazing persistence. (JR)