Louis Roederer : Cristal Vinothèque Rosé 1996

Wine Advocate-Parker :
Roederer's 1996 Cristal Rosé has always been described as one of the very best Champagnes, but now here is the perfection of perfection, the 1996 Cristal Vinothèque Rosé, a wine with an undefined color or, like the 1995, just a hint of color. And indeed, the 1996 remains a tight, tart and racy Cristal even though I would put it more gentle for the Vinothèque Rosé. Still a bit reductive on the deep, round and intense nose with its floral and vegetal fruit aromas, this is a pure and lean but also round and generous 1996 with a yeasty texture, brioche and pain-aux-raisin flavors and good fruit on the palate. Disgorged in 2011, after 14 years sur latte, it is now pure and salty, very fresh and firmly structured, revealing great vitality and tension in the long, complex finish. If only I could have spent more time with the wine... Tasted in Reims in May 2018.