1990 Louis Roederer Cristal
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The 1990 Cristal takes us back to another era at Roederer. There is little doubt the 1990 has aged beautifully. At the same time, there is a bit of edginess, of hardness, in the contours that shows just how much quality has soared at Roederer since then. This is the result of a change in many inputs, from a more contemporary approach to farming to the reintroduction of oak fermentation for some lots, a choice taken to give more roundness to the wines. Apricot, dried flowers, pastry, hazelnut, coffee and exotic spice are some of the many notes that open with a bit of time in the glass. The 1990 is fascinating to taste today, especially for the contextual richness it provides with respect to the wines that precede it and those that follow. This was Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon's second harvest at Roederer. Dosage is 10 grams per liter. Disgorged: October 2007.
Punteggi della critica
Richard Juhlin
Jancis Robinson MW
Altre recensioni e punteggi
Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon's first vintage when the Pinots were outstanding. Deep orange gold. So rich and full and exotic. Dried tropical fruits. Not that frothy. Hint of coconut. Still very much alive and well. (JR)
The 1990 Cristal is remarkable. Polished, nuanced and light on its feet, the 1990 is all class. Citrus, orchard fruit and floral notes are wonderfully lifted throughout. A slight reductive note adds character on the finely knit finish. I can’t think of a better way to start this tasting. Simply put, the 1990 is a total rock star. Moreover, it is much more delicate than most wines from this ripe vintage. Amazingly, the 1990 tastes like it is still not ready! “Nineteen ninety was my second vintage here,” says Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. “It was ideal. The fruit was just perfect. We blocked the malolactic fermentation completely and only fermented 6-7% of our lots in oak, as opposed to the more typical 20%, in order to preserve as much freshness as possible. The wine was made by my predecessor, Michel Pansu, but I was learning. This was the first year I started working with oxygen by reducing sulfites in vinification to pre-oxidize the Chardonnay musts, as I do know, which allows me to get rid of all the unstable, oxidative compounds. With Pinot, on the other hand, you need a little bit of sulfur at crush or you lose the brilliant fruit."
Blending 62% Pinot Noir with 38% Chardonnay, fermented without malolactic and disgorged in 1996 after five years sur lie, the 1990 Cristal is still a superb and amazing prestige Champagne that is far from being over-matured or faded. The wine is as rich as it is pure and finessed, revealing a mineral tension and youthful freshness that is nothing short of stunning given the low-acidity vintage. This proves impressively that substance and terroir matter far more than just acidity. Tasted in May 2018, the 1990 is still fabulous. Even the 1979 Cristal was still excitingly fresh but unfortunately corked.