Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2009

Professional Ratings

• 97 Wine Enthusiast
  The latest incarnation of this famous Champagne now comes from Roederer's own vineyards, a good portion of which are run on biodynamic lines. This still-young wine has great depth and richness, a beautiful balance between ripe fruit and crisp texture that make it alive, crisp and bright. As it matures, it will deepen and become even more intense.
• 97 Decanter
  Translusent, shimmering gold indicates a wine of poised ripeness; beautiful scents of orange blossom merge with sense of great chalky terroir. The purity and sublime texture of the mouthfeel owes a lot to non-malolactic winemaking which maintains freshness after the uninterrupted warmth of summer to harvest end. Also it also shows the essential true fruit now and for 20 years to come. Long lingering finish. A great supremely elegant Champagne.
• 96 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  The 2009 Cristal literally shimmers on the palate, showing great depth and purity in its sumptuous layers of fruit. It is a magnificent wine endowed with superb length and exceptional overall balance. The 2009 Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. The percentage of wine aged in oak is 15%, which is down slightly from previous vintages. Range: 94-96
• 96 James Suckling

  Wonderful maturing nose of beautifully ripe golden autumn fruits and just a whiff of floral honey, this is rich, mouth-filling and graceful with silky acidity and a long caressing finish that is underlined by a delicate chalkiness. Very easy to enjoy. It still has a lively fine mousse. Tasted at the Cristal vertical tasting at the champagne house on July 6th, 2023.

• 96 Wine & Spirits
  Cristal 2009 is supple and lovely, the vintage adding richness to the clarity and precision of its fruit, heightening the sense of purity from a wine exclusively made from chalk terroirs. It’s a straight line of flavor widened by fruit notes of just-ripe white peach and deeper tones of red currant. What ornate charm this offers may be clarified by the details (60 percent pinot noir, 40 percent chardonnay, from seven grand cru villages, plus Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, where Roederer owns exceptional parcels of pinot noir, a portion of the lots fermented in barrel, none of it allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation). But this is not the kind of symphonic blend that other houses strive to produce. Young Cristal offers resonance rather than complexity, a long, gentle reverberation that lasts. Its future lies in its perfect shape, something time will address with a patina on the surface and in layers below.
• 95 Wine Spectator
  White peach and acacia blossom aromas accent the flavors of poached apple, gingersnap biscuit, pastry cream and spun honey in this harmonious Champagne. The satiny mousse caresses the palate, while firm, focused acidity drives the lasting finish. Drink now through 2030.