In 1876, Tsar Alexander II - already a great lover of Louis Roederer wines - asked Louis Roederer to ‘take the exercise still further‘ and create a cuvée for his personal use which was unique, in terms of both its style and the bottle. Louis Roederer offered him an exceptional crystal bottle, holding the fruit of vines selected from the seven great crus on his estate. The chardonnay and pinot noir grapes provide the subtle, precise balance that has now become synonymous with the leading prestige cuvée of Champagne.

Cristal is Louis Roederer’s flagship cuvée. It was created in 1876 and is composed of Grand Crus from the Montagne de Reims, the Marne Valley and the Côte des Blancs.

Cristal is produced using only the finest vintages from crus guaranteed to originate from Louis Roederer vineyards. Cristal 2002 was aged on its lees for 6 years before being matured for a further 9 years in bottle after its disgorgement in 2009. The dosage is 9 g/l.

It is always fascinating to re-discover vintages of Cristal that have been left to mature in the cellars after being disgorged. 9 years after its disgorgement date, this Cristal has taken on a whole new dimension and the finish reminds one of a fine white from neighboring Burgundy. Impressive and extremely seductive! The nose is flawless, aromatic, intense, deep and dense. It reveals an exceptionally rich and complex bouquet dominated by fruity, zesty and roasted aromas combined with enticing notes of vanilla and a hint of truffle. This wine coats the palate with its texture and volume on entry to the palate and offers a concentrated mouthfeel underpinned by a smooth effervescence. But there is definitely a little extra something on the finish: exceptional finesse, a chalky freshness and a menthol touch which give it such intensity on the finish, the signature of a fine white wine.

An extraordinary year with all the qualities of an exceptional vintage in Champagne: consistently warm temperatures yet without excessive sunshine or heat, a particularly mild winter, slightly less rainfall than average during the growing cycle (20% less), cool nights and a cool, dry northeast wind in August and September. These exceptional conditions resulted in optimum ripeness levels in the grapes and good concentration of flavor. The harvesting began on September 12 for the chardonnays which were displaying an average sugar concentration of over 11% in natural alcohol.

The strength and finesse of Cristal are perfectly suited to delicate foods. It is a flattering accompaniment to caviar, fish and shellfish such as scallops, John Dory, lobster and crayfish. The ideal serving temperature is between 46°F and 50°F.