Roederer, Louis - Champagner Cristal Vinotheque Rose Brut 1995

JAMES SUCKLING: "Very complete and very complex, offering well integrated, ripe pinot-noir fruit with an array of sweet flowers, ripe cherries and wet chalk. A gently sapid fruit texture on the palate, as well as composed, smooth and seamless textural charm. Beautiful balance of sweet fruit and acidity here. Very long, the soft, sweet tannins holding a darker, nutty finish. In a great drinking zone now."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Since November 2017, there is another Cristal in a few markets: Vinothèque! The "other" Cristal, of which only "a few bottles" are released, is more than just the late-release edition of Cristal. In fact, it has been 20 years in the making: 14 years sur latte and seven years sur bouchon. The 1995 is the inaugural vintage for both the white and rosé, and it will be followed by the 1996 (to be released in September 2018), 1997 and 1999. Originally released in 2002, the 1995 Cristal Vinothèque Rosé was aged on the lees for 14 years and was disgorged in 2010 with a lower dosage than the original Cristal Rosé (seven to eight grams per liter). Released in November 2017, the blend of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay shows a pale hint of color and opens with rich red fruit along with floral notes on the subtly layered nose. On the palate, this is a rich, round and voluptuous yet elegant Rosé with a mouth-filling texture, very good freshness and even purity in the complex, tensioned, very persistent and mineral finish. Tasted in Reims in May 2018."

DECANTER: "For a 22 year old wine, this Cristal rosé is incredibly young and vivacious. The lack of concession to age is also reflected in the primary fruit which ripples with scented wild strawberry and pomegranate, fleshed out with marzipan, caramel and toast. The lively but beautifully balanced acidity gives the wine frame and form. There is a full-ish mouthfeel and hedonistic vinosity here, but the wine has no hint of heaviness on the long, sensuous finish. The overall effect is one of unrelenting pleasure, poise and precision."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Glorious easy and round with great freshness. Very lively."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This magnificent wine celebrates the enormous aging potential of a great Champagne. It is still full of bright red fruits and tense minerality, with only a hint of maturity. While nearing its peak for enjoyment, let it breathe before drinking."

FALSTAFF: "Mittleres Goldgelb, zarter Bronzetouch, dezentes Mousseux mit feiner Perlage. Zunächst dunkelmalzige, karamellige Nuancen, Maroni, etwas feuchtes Heu, unterlegt mit Erdbeerkonfit, sehr indivuell, mit Luft schwarze Johannisbeeren, aber auch salzig und Jod. Am Gaumen feine Nuancen von dunkler Kirschenfrucht, Lebkuchen, komplex, feiner Honigtouch, finessenreich, zitronig-salzige Nuancen, kalkig-würziger Touch, gelbe Tropenfrucht im Abgang, eleganter Stil mit einigen Reifenoten, changierend zwischen der Cristal-typischen Frische und würzigen Nuancen nach 25 Jahren Reife."