Champagne Roederer Cristal 2008 Brut, 12% vol. (Prestige Cuvee) Magnum

60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay The Cuvee Cristal is the masterpiece of the house of Louis Roederer. This cuvee, which was created in 1876, combines the Grands Crus from the hills around Reims, from the Marne Valley and from the Cote des Blancs. The Cristal 2008 was matured in bottles over eight years. The ripening period after disgorgement is at least eight months. Copper colored with green and orange reflections at the same time. Delicate, regular and dynamic perlage. Complex, intense bouquet with notes of candied citrus fruits, yellow fruits, Williams pear, pollen and roasted almonds. Intense, precise and chiselled on the nose. Strong, wide and tight start. A full-bodied, almost salty wine that was shaped not by the sun in 2008, but by fresh temperatures and the dryness of the chalk soils. The result is a tactile, almost liqueur-like, strong and smooth impression, with the wine literally rolling in the mouth. This is followed by an incredibly fresh, tense and very salty finale that leaves an impression of absolute purity. This truly masterful Cristal 2008 is not only deep but also intense. A quintessence of chalk floors that gives pressure and tension at the same time. The Cristal was tamed in 2008 through a particularly long bottle aging lasting ten years. A first! 98 Parker points, 97 points Wine Spectator, 100 Falstaff points