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  • Country ranking ?

    743
  • Producer ranking ?

    48
  • Decanting time

    15min
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Carrot gazpacho seasoned with cumin

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The Wine Advocate - Antonio Galloni - January 23, 2009

96 Points "Roederer’s 1996 Cristal is gorgeous. The expressive, floral bouquet melds seamlessly into an expansive palate of sweet fruit. This is an exceptionally polished and finessed Cristal, but like so many vintages, it needs time in bottle, regardless of how rewarding it is today. Even after all of these great 1996s, the Cristal delivers the goods."

 

The Wine Advocate - Antonio Galloni - January 2009

96 Points "The estate’s 1996 Cristal, from a legendary vintage, does not disappoint. ...The 1996 is an insanely beautiful Cristal loaded with floral, perfumed fruit and vibrant minerality. The wine turns delicate in the glass, yet this is a sublime, fresh Cristal that is in need of further cellaring."

 

Wine Review Online - Ed McCarthy - August 2005

99 Points "Champagne doesn't get much better than Cristal; in the great vintages, it has no peer. Louis Roederer has been making Cristal as a dry prestige cuvée only since the end of World War II, but since then, this house has made some of the world's greatest Champagnes... The '96 Cristal stood out like a beacon at a recent Champagne luncheon of prestige cuvees. Its intense, honeyed flavors penetrate the palate and are backed with piercing acidity."

 

Wine Spectator - B.S. - November 2003

94 Points "A paradox. This has weight yet a sensation of weightlessness thanks to its seamless texture and harmony. Still firm and forceful yet elegant, offering citrus, pastry, biscuit and hazelnut notes enmeshed in the creamy texture. Great structure for aging. Drink now through 2015."

 

The Wine Advocate - Robert Parker - December 2002

95 Points

 

International Wine Cellar - Stephen Tanzer - December 2002

94+ Points "Multidimensional nose offers baked apple, orange oil, acacia honey, white chocolate, toffee and earthy low tones. Expansive, super concentrated and powerful but not aggressive, with wonderfully sweet flavors of orange, flowers and honey supported by strong underlying structure. An amazingly solid Champagne with the stuffing for extended development in bottle."

Wine Enthusiast - W.E. - December 2002

92 Points "Fresh brioche and roasted honey aromas are as rich and intense as the apple and anise flavors. The mouthfeel is creamy yet crisp and vibrant."

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The Story

In 1876 when Tsar Alexander II requested that a special cuvée be created for his court Roederer duly obliged, creating what many regard to be the first prestige cuvée. 

As the political situation in Russia was somewhat unstable, Tsar Alexander feared assassination. He ordered that Champagne bottles be made of clear glass, so that he could see the bubbles and to prevent anyone from hiding a bomb within, as could easily happen with a typical dark green bottle. Roederer commissioned a Flemish glassmaker to create clear lead crystal Champagne bottles with a flat bottom. 

Originally a sweet blend, the Champagne was named “Cristal” after these distinctive clear lead crystal glass bottles.

In 1909, the House of Louis Roederer was regarded as the “Official Purveyor of Champagne to the Imperial Court of Russia” – a business coup that was later reversed following the deposition of the Tsar during the 1917 Revolution. Prohibition in the US caused additional financial difficulties during the early 20th century. However, the house survived these setbacks and today Louis Roederer remains an independent, family-owned business, managed by Roederer’s descendant, Frédéric Rouzaud.

The composition of Cristal is approximately 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay. The grapes used in the wine come from only the finest vineyards in Grand Cru villages. Lecaillon talks about the crucial role that vineyards play in quality:

“A majority of our most recent development has been in vineyard operations. We have strict limits set for crop yields and we're using vines that are 25 years old on average. We evaluate the grapes coming from our own vineyards very critically. We try to improve the vineyards that aren't performing well and keep the ones that are at the highest level of quality.

The grapes from our own vineyards produce wines with an alcohol content that’s an average of 1% higher than those produced with purchased grapes. There’s less tart malic acid in our own grapes. Even though we strive for the highest possible acidity, it’s absolutely necessary that this is accompanied by a ripe fruitiness. We belong to the five-percent minority of Champagne's producers who do not use malolactic fermentation to reduce wine acidity. The range of aromas is accentuated by the high-acid structure, much in the same way a salad dressing brings out the aromas in the food.

“And we stopped using cloned vines - we're only using the vine offspring from our own vineyards to ensure natural diversity. In the 1950s, -60s and -70s cloning was far too simple a solution for such a complex thing." Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon explained

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Wine Information

A gleaming pale gold color, with a fine foam and an elegant cord of bubbles. It has an eloquent, intense, delicate nose, with almond flavors, and constant fresh white flowers. It has a full, consistent attack, with remarkable balance, near gossamer-like smoothness, and an extraordinary length. Serve with the more refined dishes: caviar, fish, and shellfish such as lobster, and spiny lobster.

Cristal comes from the strictest criteria of development, which require a drastic selection of the cru, villages, grapes, and finally, of the wines. Only Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from the House's ten most famous crus are retained.

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Vintage 1996

Up to this point 1996 has been considered a fantastic vintage which produced classic wines; the best since 1990. A long, dry summer produced grapes of record ripeness with record acidity. Some, including myself, question how the 1996s are aging. The wines are generally characterized by a distinctive rather lemony acidity and very good attack, but some wines now seem terribly austere, while others already seem dangerously short of fruit. None of the subsequent vintages are quite as distinctive as 1996, which in the more successful cases should almost certainly be drunk after the 1999s.

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Tasting note

color

Light, Green-Yellow and Bright

ending

Long, Lingering and Vibrant

flavors

Toasty, Smoky, Nutty and Buttery

nose

Intense, Complex, Seductive and Refined

recommend

Yes

taste

High in Acidity, Concentrated, Complex, Perfectly balanced, Youthful, Medium-bodied, Firm, Round, Harmonious and Dry

Verdict

Intelligent and Sophisticated

Written Notes

The 1996 Louis Roederer Cristal was its usual butterscotchy self but not in the same class as the Rose, at least not this bottle. It was an outstanding Champagne, sweet and flirty, but but but…(95).

  • 95p
It is, of course, insane to drink this wine this early. I quake at the thought of how much Cristal is going to be stolen from the cradle at nightclubs and fashionable restaurants in the rich parts of the world. I was almost ashamed when I—for professional reasons, of course—popped the cork. The entire register is certainly here already, but everything is so incredibly shy and subordinate to the high acidity. Buy all you can find and leave it forgotten for the time being in some dark corner of the basement. Having said that, certain bottles are already deliciously honeyed. Very mature now in some normally stored bottles.
  • 96p
A dream come true vintage combining volume (10 356 kg/ha), ripeness and remarkable acidity. This is as structured and long-lived as it gets, near immortal. Another positive characteristic is that there are still 1996s around to buy and stock for the years to come. Every Cristal vintage requires time, but more than usual one should allow the 1996 further 5-10 in the cellar. As Cristal has not gone through malo-lactic fermentation the acidity is phenomenal and to the liking of all high acidity champagne lovers. Persistent and fine small-sized bubbles in the glass. The nose is pure, pronounced and with some signs of development. Ripe fruitiness, lemon, brioche and ripe apple aromas overwhelm the taster. The palate is fresh and tart, slightly tight and closed still but with remarkable concentration and length. This will undoubtedly develop into one of the best Cristals ever made.
  • 97p

Magnum. 61% PN, 39% Chardonnay. 3% oak fermentation.

A green hint. Tangy and very vibrant and nervy and vivacious. Very tight and firm and tightly laced like a corset. More depth and extract than in the ‘99 – very nerveux. About as much astringence as the 1999, still. Very firm. Very fine and tight and angular. This should make spectacular old bones – if it’s allowed to.

  • 98p

Louis Roederer Cristal 1996 (Magnum) Absolutely stunning nose of great complexity, enticement and elegance which evolved beautifully in the glass.  Still lean and elegant as you would expect from the vintage. Immensely satisfying with plenty of time to go although it is difficult to imagine how it can continue to improve.  For once a Cristal that exceeds expectations!. Impressive.  The bottles tasted were also excellent.  19.5

  • 98p
This is definitely one of the best Cristals I have ever had. The stunning nose charms with complex and refined aromas of gentle toastiness, touch of spearmint and lovely dose of white truffles. The concentrated and intense palate shows is all about precision with long and lingering lemony finish. Purity par excellence! Perfect match with blinis and Beluga caviar!
  • 98p
Medium-deep lemon colour. Elegant, soft, restrained toffee and red apple nose. Glossy bight fruit and gentle spiciness. Very energetic still, lots of acidity, very linear and tart and racy. Long, juicy and refined, but very young. Tight-packed and long. Some oxidative, evolved signs. Gen.tle mousse
  • 95p
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Information

Origin

Reims, Champagne

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Best buy

Investment potential

Average

Fake factory

None

Glass time

45min

Drinking temperature

7

Other wines from this producer

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Brut Nature Rosé

Brut Nature Starck

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Carte Blanche Demi-Sec

Carte Blanche Sec

Collection 241

Collection 242

Collection 243

Collection 244

Coteaux Champenois Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Hommage à Camille

Cristal Rosé

Cristal Rosé Vinothèque

Cristal Vinothèque

Rosé Brut

Vintage

Vintage Blanc de Blancs

Vintage Rosé

Inside Information

The estate’s 1996 Cristal, from a legendary vintage, does not disappoint. Like the 1979, there are elements of austerity that will require some time to sort themselves out, yet the 1996 is an insanely beautiful Cristal loaded with floral, perfumed fruit and vibrant minerality. The wine turns delicate in the glass, yet this is a sublime, fresh Cristal that is in need of further cellaring. In 1996 Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. According to Lecaillon 1996 is a vintage that did not respond well to oak aging, so only 3% of the wine was aged in wood, while 10% of the wine saw malolactic fermentation. This bottle was disgorged in 2007 and dosage was 8 grams. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2026.

 

Wine Advocate #144
Dec 2002
Robert M. Parker, Jr. 95 Drink: N/A $390-$860 (175)
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