I should declare an interest beyond the obvious commercial one: Champagne Louis Roederer has been an important and sentimental part of my life from long before I had any connection with its importation. It was the wine I chose to celebrate our marriage (and you can be sure that buying in Hediard in Paris meant that it wasn’t – even back then – a decision driven by price).
Why did I choose it? I had visited the cellars in the mid-1990s with John and Erica Platter and we were given an extraordinary tasting illustrating the effect of infinitesimal variations in the component still wines which make up the base wine of the vin d’expedition. To be clear, this means the 25ml in which the sugar adjustment is dissolved and which is added back to the bottle after disgorgement. In every one of the trial samples, the sugar percentage was the same. All that had changed were the bits and pieces making up the 25mls of fluid added to the bottle: after a few years in the bottle, this tiny difference was visible and significant. I was blown away by the expertise that knew how to make that call when the wine was being disgorged – because the best wine (out of eight) on the table “happened” to be the one with the blend the Chef de Cave had selected years before.
It was inevitable that Champagne Louis Roederer would be my choice to serve at home, which in turn meant it was the only Champagne house worthy of courting. It took many years (and quite a few hoops) before we were able to formalise a relationship. Since then there hasn’t been an event of any importance in our family without a bottle of Roederer sharing in the occasion.
So when the latest releases arrived in South Africa I was a bit like the kid who sneaks out of class before the break bell to get to the head of the tuck-shop queue before the crowds gather. The line-up made missing whatever else was scheduled to take place on the day of the launch an easy decision. Except for the Rose (2016) and the Collection 244, the party was about 2015, one of those vintages where the winemaking largely took care of itself.
Of course you can’t simply get deposited on top of Mount Everest: you have to work your way there, if only for context. So we started with a vertical of the three Collection releases to have come to our shores: Collection 242 comprising roughly one third 2017 vintage and one third perpetual reserve, Collection 243 where 2018 replaced 2017, and the current arrival, Collection 244 with 2019 the dominant vintage.
I learned a few things from this trio: firstly Collection is a constantly evolving, age-worthy grande cuvée. Two years after release the 242 has gained in weight and complexity; the 243 is getting there, the 244, while delicious now, will reward a little time in bottle. Secondly, given the fruit sources, the organic and bio-dynamic vineyards which contribute the majority of the cuvée, it’s better wine than most cuvées prestiges at double the price. Finally, climate change has made it possible for wines with lower sugars (the 244 has only 7 grams) to have both energy and succulence, and still be bone dry.
The Roederer 2015 is a palpable step up, which left me wondering how Cristal 2015 (the final wine in the line-up) could ever justify a price almost four times more than the standard vintage release. I needn’t have panicked. The vintage 2015 delivered purity, linearity, and precision – all held together with beautifully layered biscuity notes. The 2015 Cristal arrived and simply moved the goal-posts: it was bigger and more intense, yet weightless and superfine. There was a haunting harmony in how the fruit notes had been woven together with its uncompromising vinosity, and a breadth to the finish which combined texture, depth and length. It was hard not to fantasise about drinking a bottle every day (except on weekends, when at least two bottles would be required).
I used to say that wines like the 2015 Cristal should be kept for special occasions, that art this perfect (nothing in surplus, nothing left out) should never be allowed to succumb to the quotidian. I’m beginning to change my mind: we all know the sermon which preaches that “life’s too short to drink bad wine.” I think we need to raise the bar: if you can get to drink a perfect bottle every day, then you must. Cristal 2015 should help to persuade you.
