Cristal, Champagne In Presentation Box

Established in 1776, Champagne Louis Roederer is one of the few remaining completely independent family-owned, great Champagne houses. In 1876 Tsar Alexander II, who was already a great fan of Louis Roederer’s Champagne, asked Louis Roederer to go one step further and produce, for his own personal consumption, a unique wine in quality and bottle.

Louis Roederer offered to create an exceptional white crystal bottle to house the best selection from the 7 finest vineyards of his estate. This wine was only produced in the “great” years when the ripeness of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir enabled a subtle, precise balance. The wine is the region’s most prestigious.

Reviews:
96 points Antonio Galloni
The 2002 Cristal is a gorgeous, sculpted wine of extraordinary elegance. Graceful, well-delineated aromatics lead to ripe pears, spices, flowers, minerals and mint in this precise Champagne. Today the 2002 appears to have slightly more fruit than the 1996, and perhaps slightly better overall balance, although that is splitting hairs at this level. The wine remains fresh and in need of several years of cellaring before it hits its stride. In 2002 Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. 20% of the wine was aged in oak, and dosage was 10 grams. This bottle was disgorged in December 2007. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2032.