Awards and Accolades

97 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
"A very rich and full-bodied Cristal that harks back to 2006 or 1989 in style. It's round and rich, which underlies the ripeness of the vintage. Lots of dried-apple and pineapple character with bread dough and flan flavors. The bubbles are so fine you almost don't notice them. Very vinous style. Drink now."

97 Points - Michael Edwards, Decanter Magazine
"Translusent, shimmering gold indicates a wine of poised ripeness; beautiful scents of orange blossom merge with sense of great chalky terroir. The purity and sublime texture of the mouthfeel owes a lot to non-malolactic winemaking which maintains freshness after the uninterrupted warmth of summer to harvest end. Also it also shows the essential true fruit now and for 20 years to come. Long lingering finish. A great supremely elegant Champagne. Dosage 8 g/l"

96 Points - Joshua Greene, Wine & Spirits
"Cristal 2009 is supple and lovely, the vintage adding richness to the clarity and precision of its fruit, heightening the sense of purity from a wine exclusively made from chalk terroirs. It’s a straight line of flavor widened by fruit notes of just-ripe white peach and deeper tones of red currant. What ornate charm this offers may be clarified by the details (60 percent pinot noir, 40 percent chardonnay, from seven grand cru villages, plus Mareuil-sur-A, where Roederer owns exceptional parcels of pinot noir, a portion ofthe lots fermented in barrel, none of it allowed to undergo matolactic fermentation). But this is not the kind of symphonic blend that other houses strive to produce. Young Cristal offers resonance rather than complexity, a long, gentle reverberation that lasts. Its future lies in its perfect shape, something time will address with a patina on the surface and in layers below."

From the Producer

A continental, sunny year with a real winter that was very cold and dry followed by a glorious sun-filled summer and almost no rain in August and September. All this meant traditional vine growth, excellent health and remarkable grape ripeness for the production of dense, fruity and delicious wines. 2009 is an obvious addition to the select group of brilliant and accomplished Champagne vintages with a light, sunny character.

60 % Pinot noir, 40% Chardonnay, 16% of the wine vinified in oak casks, no malolactic fermentation. Cristal is a blend of Grands Crus from the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs. The wine is aged for 6 years in the cellars and left for a minimum of 8 months after disgorging to attain the perfect maturity. The dosage is 8 g/l.

Louis Roederer was originally founded about 1776 as Dubois Père & Fils. Nicolas Schreider from the Alsace region came to work with the Dubois family and eventually purchased the company. Nicolas Schreider's nephew, Louis Roederer joined his uncle at the company in 1827. When Nicolas died in 1833, Louis inherited the Champagne House and gave it his own name “Louis Roederer.”

Louis Roederer II eventually inherited the Roederer Champagne House. In the 1870s he began exporting the wine. Early links with Russian court led to the creation of Cristal, Roederer’s famous Prestige Cuvee in 1876. Cristal was originally sweet, unlike the current dry (Brut) style. Cristal was commissioned by Russian Tsar Alexander II who wanted it in clear glass crystal so that it would not stand out, hence the name Cristal. Another unusual feature of the crystal bottle is that they are so strong they do not need a punt, the indentation found in the bottom of most champagne bottles. Rumor has it that the Tsar requested a bottle without a punt so his enemies could not hide something lethal in the indentation and it also helped reassure the Tsar that the wine was authentic. Cristal is considered the first Prestige Cuvee of Champagne, but was not available for commercial purchase until the mid