Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 2005 750ml Case of 3

Fabulous nose with great blood orange intensity neatly framed by brioche. On the extravagant and concentrated palate this has whiplash vibrancy yet somehow marries this to a taut elegance. Extremely long finish with dangerous freshness for this age! Literally takes your breath away. Tasted at the Cristal vertical tasting at the champagne house on July 6th, 2023. Drink or hold.

The iconic Roederer Champagne, Cristal's latest release, brings a perfect balance of richness and age worthiness. It is full of apple flavor, and the mousse is very fine and almost imperceptible. As so often with a beautifully blended wine like this, a few minutes breathing brings out extra complex flavors. It certainly should age over five years and more. (Cellar Selection)

The 2005 Cristal is another impressive wine in this vertical, but in this case, it is its performance in a very hard year that impresses most. There's real depth, density and textural resonance here. Apple tart, chamomile, dried flowers, pear and brioche linger. "We had some rot issues, mainly in Pinot Noir, so we focused on Chardonnay." The Pinot components in Cristal are sourced from vineyards in Aÿ in Marne Valley and then Verzy and Verzenay on the Montagne de Reims, with an unusually high amount of Aÿ Pinot in 2005 as those sites ripened earlier and under more favorable conditions with less rot. Because of that, the 2005 is unusually round and supple in feel. The 2005 also shows a light reductive quality that is not especially typical of Cristal. "Every time the vintage is a bit open in character, we go for reduction, which is achieved by favoring tanks that are more reductive in the blend." Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon and his team turned out a brilliant wine in this very challenging harvest. The 2005 is not the finest Cristal, but it is a real charmer. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged: 2013.

Vibrant and mouthwatering, this offers a range of patisserie pear and apple fruit, candied lemon zest, pastry dough and marzipan notes set on a finely detailed texture, which imparts a great deal of finesse. The lasting finish echoes a smoky mineral note. Drink now through 2025. 20,000 cases imported.

The 2005 Cristal is drinking very well, and it stands out as a fine effort in this challenging year for Champagne. Offering up aromas of crisp orchard fruit, nectarine, freshly baked bread and subtle hints of honeycomb, it's medium to full-bodied, elegantly fleshy and incisive, with racy acids and a pearly mousse, concluding with a long, chalky finish.

Like the 2006 this is notably ripe with plenty of yeast, brioche and orchard fruit characters but in this case there is no tropicality. There is fine mid-palate density to the relatively powerful and very rich flavors that possess excellent complexity on the lingering finish that really fans out as it sits in the mouth. Like many 2005s this is not an especially refined vintage for Cristal nor does it possess the effervescent punch it usually does. Those aspects duly noted, this certainly cannot be faulted in terms of richness and complexity and for my taste, this is probably drinking about as well as it's going to though I underscore that it should drink well for many years to come.

A deep and vinous wine, bright and noble, a true Cristal. It is balanced by a chalky freshness that cuts through and stretches the wine giving it with a slender fuselage and great finesse. Rich and complex aromas with notes of zesty and candied fruit (lemon) mingled with pollen (white flowers), roasted hazelnut and Madagascar vanilla. After aeration, the bouquet develops rich notes of fresh pastries and smoky notes from bottle ageing.