Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Rose 2004
Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Rose 2004 is the rosé of Champagne's original prestige cuvée in a classic, generous vintage — 12% ABV, 750mL, old-vine Pinot Noir from the Grand Cru vineyards of Ay blended with Chardonnay from the Cote des Blancs, made by saignée after a cold maceration, matured about six years in the house cellars and bottled with no malolactic fermentation. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 12%
- Size: 750mL
- Vintage: 2004 — harvest from 20 September 2004
- Grapes: Old-vine Pinot Noir (Ay Grand Cru) with Chardonnay (Avize, Mesnil-sur-Oger)
- Method: Saignée after cold maceration; 20% of the wines vinified in oak; no malolactic fermentation
- Ageing: About 6 years in the house cellars, plus rest after disgorgement (original release)
- Origin: Louis Roederer, Reims, Champagne, France
A Rosé Written in Chalk and Old Vines
Cristal Rosé was created in 1974 by Jean-Claude Rouzaud, a century after Cristal itself, and it is built differently from most rosé Champagne: rather than blending in red wine, Roederer bleeds the colour from old-vine Pinot Noir grown on the calcareous-clay and chalk soils of Ay — fruit the house credits with exceptional ripeness held on a line of crystalline acidity, from plots the house now farms to biodynamic principles. A fifth of the wines are vinified in oak, malolactic fermentation is refused outright, and the wine rests some six years before release. The 2004 harvest — cool and consistent, dry and sunny through September — gave the house both quantity and balance. Find it among our champagne and rose wine ranges, or browse the house on the Louis Roederer vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Nose: White flowers and red fruits over caramel and Tarte Tatin (house notes). Palate: Full, round and refined — strawberry and fig, lemon and orange citrus, vine peach, on a silky mineral frame. Finish: Fresh and fine, pastry and toasted dried fruit emerging with air.
How to Enjoy
Serve at 8–10°C in a white-wine glass rather than a narrow flute, and give a mature vintage like this a few minutes of air. It is a table Champagne: lobster, duck, or simply on its own as the main event.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Cristal Rosé made? By saignée — the juice takes its colour from a cold maceration on the Pinot Noir skins (five to eight days in house-derived accounts) rather than from blended red wine, which is why the colour and the fruit stay so precise.
Is the 2004 a good vintage? Yes — the house describes 2004 as a classic, generous vintage: cool, even ripening, a rainy August redeemed by a dry, sunny September, and grapes that reached an outstanding balance of ripeness and freshness.
How long was it aged? The original release rested about six years in Roederer's cellars, with a further rest after disgorgement. (A separate, later Vinothèque edition of the 2004 exists with far longer ageing — check the packaging if that distinction matters to your cellar.)
A century-old house, a benchmark vintage — buy Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Rose 2004 online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.