x
  • Country ranking ?

    560
  • Producer ranking ?

    31
  • Decanting time

    20min
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Chicken with Mediterranean Herbs

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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Wine & Spirits - Joshua Greene - December 2011

97 Points "The energy in this wine recalls the 2002 Cristal (I wrote 'energy' three times in my notes.) In 2004, it's explosive. The wine is saturated with flavor, from floral notes of rose to pale limestone and equally pale fruit. The flavors keep going, as if striding through doorway after doorway in a limestone cellar, the Champenois equivalent of Get Smart. Built to age as gracefully as Agent 99, this won't disappoint if you open it now with scallop crudo."

 

QRW - QRW Tasting Panel - April 2011

Best of Show "In a class by itself. Even in an average vintage Cristal delivers. Toasty, frothy, elegant, creamy, with pear and nutty notes, and a gorgeous finish."

 

The Wine Advocate - Antonio Galloni - December 23, 2010

97 Points "It is a powerful, structured Cristal layered with considerable fruit. ...Readers who are willing to spend some time with the wine today will find a super-impressive, complete Cristal. ...the 2004 Cristal has come together beautifully and is shaping up to be a truly great, monumental Champagne."

 

CNBC.com - Ray W. Isle - December 23, 2010

"Cristal is what Champagne producers refer to as a ‘tête de cuvee,’ the top-of-the-line offering. It’s only made in the best vintages, and takes that classic Champagne elegance and moves it up to entirely new level of refinement (that’s one reason why it’s best served in white wine glasses—you really want to be able to smell it). Also, like most great wines and if kept in ideal cellar conditions, Cristal can age beautifully for decades."

 

Wine Spectator - Bruce Sanderson - December 15, 2010

93 Points "Floral, citrus and spice aromas and flavors are at the forefront of this filigree, delicate Champagne. This is harmonious and well-defined, with a long aftertaste of roasted nut and toast."

 

Wine & Spirits - December 01, 2010

97 Points "A pale beauty with delicate power, energy and dimension, the 2004 Cristal is an impressive follow-up to the 2002. Scents of apple blossom hint at the depth and clarity of the fruit, layered with ginger and spice in a flavor delivered over the course of several minutes. The freshness of the wine comes through in a subtle hum rather than anything as overt as a buzz, bright, airy and unstoppable."

 

International Wine Cellar - Josh Raynolds - November 2010

94 Points "Taut, linear lemon and orange rind flavors give way to deeper pear in the mid-palate and pick up notes of honeysuckle and toasted grain with air. Still very young but shows excellent promise. Finishes with good mineral cut and sappy persistence."

 

The Wine Advocate - Antonio Galloni - July 15, 2010

96 Points "An explosion of fruit emerges from the 2004 Cristal, making a strong and very positive first impression. This is a wine of incredible finesse, length and balance that promises to develop beautifully over the next several decades."

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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

CRISTAL 2004
HARVESTS
A classic, generous year, yielding both quantity and quality. 2004 followed the same climatic trends as 2002 : cool, moderate temperatures throughout the season; and a considerably reduced rainfall (by about 30%) during the growing cycle, which, despite a particularly cold and rainy month of August, was fortunately followed by a dry and sunny September, ripening the grapes off impressively. The Louis Roederer vineyard team worked intensively in this period, and by the 20th September the grapes had attained a “vintage” balance, combining maturity and freshness.

ELABORATION
Composed of 55% Pinot noir and 45% Chardonnay (20% of which is matured in oak casks with weekly batonnage). No malolactic fermentation occurs. Cristal is produced using harvests from the finest vineyards of Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs.
Cristal ages an average of 5 years in the cellars and rests 8 months after disgorgement to perfect its maturity.

DOSAGE : between 8 and 10 g/l is customised to complement each vintage.

STYLE
Cristal 2004 - incisive, seductive and delicious - has a “slender”, almost “living” freshness. Highly contemporary in its harmony and immediate seductiveness, it nevertheless remains first and foremost a great classic of northern Champagne, combining freshness, energy and an almost chalky mineral quality.
The Cristal hallmarks are evident: purity, precision and the unique harmony of flavours associated with the subtle power of our historic vines, located on the finest Champagne Grand Cru terroirs.

TASTING
«Brilliant yellow colour displaying light amber nuances, combined with an ultra-fine, persistent, soft effervescence. There’s an intense, highly expressive bouquet on the first nose! The aromatic elegance and precision of Chardonnay is apparent: white fruit, sweet pollen, fine citrus fruit and very pure minerality. After a few minutes, the aromas move on to more confit, lightly grilled hints. The bouquet is rich and sweet, almost generous, remaining precise and impeccably refined. The bite in the mouth is full and creamy, revealing an incredible concentration of juicy fruits: yellow peach, apricot, mango and others.
This silky, meaty concentration, which is both dense and soft – and typical of great Pinot noir – is immediately combined with a sophisticated touch of acidity, ringing the wine alive with minerality. The overriding impression is one of a true harmony of flavours, senses and silky textures... Absolute sensuality.»
Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon

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Vintage 2004

A great example of how large yields do not necessarily mean poor quality in Champagne. As a reaction to the previous year's low yields, the vines produced one of the largest crops on record. The growing season proceeded without major difficulties but the bumper crop called for bud thinning. August brought about cooler weather and some rains, increasing the risk of rot. The massive crop, averaging 13,990 kg/ha, was picked from September 18th onwards. The quality was a pleasant surprise; vibrant wines with appropriate intensity, refined charm and refreshing lightness. This vintage impresses me more and more, and I feel tempted to give it the full five stars. It comes with a rare balance of freshness, lightness, yet fine aromatic intensity. Post-release, this vintage has proven to be slow to age, and elegant wines are likely to keep on ageing gracefully. Dom Pérignon and Louis Roederer Cristal both excelled.

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

60 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Light, Green-Yellow and Bright

ending

Long, Lingering and Vibrant

flavors

Mineral, Citrus, White fruits, Toasty, Floral and Smoky

nose

Open, Fresh, Charming and Seductive

recommend

Yes

taste

High in Acidity, Low alcohol content, Perfectly balanced, Well-structured, Concentrated, Youthful, Medium-bodied, Elegant, Harmonious, Toasty and Dry

Verdict

nice but not special and Sophisticated

Written Notes

An unusually unpredictable vintage. Very shy in the current state, despite that the faint tones are of the more open kind. Evolves more and more and already feels classic. Drank a fantastic bottle in Thailand that presented the same exotic aroma spectrum as the surroundings. Shang-ri-La!
  • 96p
Intense lemon Super refined, striking toast and gunpowder-lined, bright white fruit nose Mellow and concentrated, muscular and mouth-filling Long, fresh and intense 2015-2030 Picture-perfect
  • 95p

The 2004 Cristal is superb today. Bright and focused, the 2004 shows all of the tension and energy that has always been one of its signatures. The first hints of aromatic maturity are starting to develop, but the 2004 remains quite young and full of energy. I have always admired the 2004 (along with the best wines of the vintage) for its focus. In this bottle, the interplay of freshness from the recent 2018 disgorgement and richness gained through added time on the lees (which also results in lower dosage of 7 grams per liter) opens another window into the personality of Cristal. In 2004, the Pinot Noir is 57%, or a bit lower than normal, while the Chardonnay at 43% is correspondingly a touch higher.

  • 97p

From magnum, the magnum we at Team Jancis won a year ago for being voted first ever winner of the Wine Website of the Year in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards. Wonderfully dense, meaty champagne with quite staggering persistence. More savoury than sweet although there's a certain creaminess to the texture. A very glamorous, sumptuous wine indeed that is already fun to drink, even from magnum, but which should continue to gain complexity for many years. Something burnished about its impact, and I'm not referring to the orange cellophane wrapper.  

  • 96p

Light gold. After swirling, the nose opens up to delicate notes of white flesh fruits, a creamy touch, toasted almond. Remarkably harmonious palate revealing full-on volume and mellowness. Substantial length capped off with a note of freshness. Superb.

  • 99p

Cristal 2004 / 97 points / A razor-sharp acidity in the background of this Champagne is softened by the creamy mid palate and the roundness from long lees aging. On the palate, the subtle florals are gentle and balanced - white blossoms, peaches and jasmine. This Cristal has a long way to go - keep it in your cellar for at least another 4-6 years and open it after 2017.

  • 97p

55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay (20% wines vinified in oak barrels with weekly b?tonnage). Average five years' ageing on lees before disgorgement and rests for eight months after disgorgement. Dosage 8-10 g/l. No malolactic fermentation. One of the palest in the line-up. Reeks of refinement with delicate citrus and brioche and a light scent of blossom. After the Clos des Goisses, this tastes gentle and delicate, but it becomes tense and driven with citrus freshness as it builds in the mouth and has great length and elegance to a long finish. Mouthwatering life on the finish.

  • 93p
Wow, what toastiness!! So, charming!! Reminds of Dom Perignon and Krug. This vintage Roederer used more greenharvesting and de-budding in champagnes than ever before to keep control over excessive yields. The ripe vintage allowed to use richer oak ageing than usually. This vintage under 30-35% oak ageing. 100 hl cask, nano-oxidation used. "For me 2004 is the most oaky Cristal ever made. This is very Burgundian chardonnay style." – cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon
  • 94p
Pale lemon yellow, tiny bubbles. Elegant nose, apples and minerals, nuanced and layered. Stunning acidity and mousse, the more I taste this, the more I love it. Superbly elegant and delicate texture, nuanced and layered, fine tuned, gorgeous length. Stretching to 95 on this one.
  • 95p
2004 Cristal Bit muted but deep with lots of minerals and citrus, roasted nuts, white peach, Japanese pear, yellow apples, honey, curry & coconut. Lots going on but needs air to open up. Full-bodied but super smooth and elegant, very focused and long with ripe white peach, yellow apples, Japanese pear, minerals, smoke, grilled nuts, coconut, butter. Perfect texture and balance. All ready open and charming but will keep and develop. 95p. 2014-2029+
  • 95p
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Information

Origin

Reims, Champagne

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

Average

Fake factory

Be Cautious

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Vintage

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Inside Information

Wine Advocate #192
Dec 2010
Antonio Galloni 97 Drink: 2014 - 2034 $187-$630 (229)
The 2004 Brut Cristal has put on quite a bit of weight since I first tasted it earlier this year. It is a powerful, structured Cristal layered with considerable fruit. Chardonnay seems to play the leading role in 2004, at least today. Cristal is often accessible young, but that is far from the case here. This is a serious, painfully young Cristal that will require considerable patience. Readers who are willing to spend some time with the wine today will find a super-impressive, complete Cristal. The 2004 Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. This is Lot L033331E100008, disgorged January, 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2034. 

My visit to these historic cellars earlier in the year was an eye-opening experience. I spent several hours with Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon tasting through a wide range of 2009s vins claires. Readers may want to take a look at my feature on www.erobertparker.com for more on those wines. The visit was capped off by previews of the 2004 Cristal and the as-yet-unreleased Cristal Rose. Both were superb. Over the last six months the 2004 Cristal has come together beautifully and is shaping up to be a truly great, monumental Champagne. From top to bottom, this is an impressive set of wines. My only real criticism of Roederer is the estate’s insistence on using lot numbers that resemble missile launch codes in their complexity. Surely something simpler must be possible.
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