Louis Roederer, Champagne (France) 2008

 If you are looking for a Champagne that will seduce you with elegant, ethereal flavors and the tiniest of bubbles I highly recommend Cristal 2008.  The nose is a complex blend of delicate citrus, floral, yeasty, chalky aromas.  In the mouth, those tiniest of bubbles mingle discretely with pure citrus, green apple fruit with chalky, lightly toasty flavors animated by vibrant acidity.  When Louis Roederer inherited the winery in 1833, he set the standard for generations to come by making vineyards the focus for making high-quality wine.   Today, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Winemaker and Executive Vice-President of Production says, “We are winegrowers rather than a Champagne House.  Wine is crafted in the vineyard.  The flavors come from the vineyard, the cellar can only capture the best.”   For Cristal, they do not use any vines younger than 25 years because Lécaillon realized that until the vines are at least 25 years old, the roots have not reached the chalk which add a mineral character and finesse to the wine.  Lécaillon is also a fanatic about bubbles and uses various techniques to bind the bubbles with the fruit, thus those tiniest of bubbles.  According to Lécaillon, “Finesse is the only worthy obsession.  Three words describe Cristal: finesse, finesse, finesse.”