Cristal er én de champagner der har opnået mytestatus; det begyndte tilbage i 1876 da Zar Aleksander d. II bad Louis Roederer producere en unik champagne til ham, den skulle være af højeste kvalitet og samtidig opfylde nogle helt specielle krav, da Zaren frygtede for et attentat mod sit liv.
Resultatet blev Cristal, opkaldt efter den klare krystalflaske der gav mulighed for at nyde champagnens farve og afsløre eventuelle giftstoffer. Bunden på flasken er flad, på denne måde kunne attentatmænd ikke skjule en sprængstoffer i under flasken.
Flasken er ganske vist ikke længere af krystal, men den er stadig klar og fladbundet, og derfor svøbt i gult UV afvisende cellofan for at beskytte vinen mod solens stråler.
I mange år var Cristal forbeholdt kongelige og regeringsoverhoveder, men nu kan vi alle glæde os over at kunne smage den unikke Cristal Champagne.
Robert Parker
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.
