1979 Louis Roederer Cristal
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A totally breathtaking Champagne, the 1979 Cristal (magnum) is exotic and stunningly beautiful. Remarkably vivid for a wine of its age, the 1979 is simply emotional. White flowers, orchard fruit, graphite, tangerine oil, spice, dried fruit and citrus confit are some of the many notes that emerge from this spectacular, vibrant Champagne. From magnum, the 1979 is quite a bit fresher than bottle, which is hard to believe, as the bottles are magnificent. The 1979 is just a life-affirming wine. Moreover, it clearly harkens back to another era in Champagne, a time when vineyards were older and before the arrival of new clones and heavy fertilization strategies aimed at increasing production. On paper, 1979 should not have been a great year,” Lécaillon said. “It’s a super complicated vintage. When I went back to the vin clair notes from just after harvest, which I did recently, they all read ‘bitter, bitter, green, bitter.’ And then the wine ends up like this. I can’t explain it. You know, back then we used a lot of taille (second pressing), 10-15%, and it worked. Today, everyone says ‘I just bottle the cuvée, the taille is not interesting. I am using taille more and more. You know, taille is the juice you get closer to the skin, and in some years, it carries a lot of aromatics,” Lécaillon explained. “I think the future of wine is coming back to what is classic. The perfect imperfections,” he adds. This is the original disgorgement from 1985, with dosage of 12 grams per liter, typical of the era.
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Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Distressed label from Roederer’s Oenothèque. Disgorged 1986. Deep copper colour. Very rich and, although it’s a white wine, the colour, and appeal, is awfully similar to that of the 1976 Cristal Rosé! (JR)
This vertical of 1970s Cristals opens with the 1979, a Champagne I have been fortunate to taste and drink on several occasions. When the 1979 is on, it is an astonishingly beautiful wine, as it is on this evening. A rush of aromatics makes a strong first impression. Vivid and totally arresting, the 1979 possesses remarkable depth and sheer vinosity. Hints of caramel, orange peel, spice and cinnamon give the wine a decidedly exotic flair. Over the last few years, the 1979 has lost a bit of the freshness it showed as recently as a few years ago, but it is nevertheless a stunning bottle. The wine’s textural silkiness and finessed mousse reinforce an impression of sublime elegance. The 1979 is utterly spellbinding. It is also the most elegant wine in this tasting. One of the all-time great vintages, the late-ripening 1979 produced a crop of striking Champagnes that have aged impeccably. Cristal is one of the two or three most profound wines of that year.
One of my all-time favorites, the 1979 Cristal is singing. Honey, almonds, orange peel, spices and rose petal grace the palate in an utterly exquisite and unforgettable Champagne. The 1979 stands out for its sense of phenolic richness and weightless intensity. If I could only drink one vintage of Cristal, 1979 might be it.