All wines
Boris· @Dominika P
Louis Roederer
Cristal
1996
4.4
Region
France › Champagne › Champagne AOC
Type
white · traditional · sparkling · brut
Grapes
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Alcohol
12%
Volume
750 mL
Tasting Notes(1)
4.4
Thirty years old and it opens with zest, not age - lemon, yuzu, grapefruit, white flowers, honey - then air pulls it toward baked apple, fresh pastry and toasted hazelnuts. The palate is the famous 1996 argument in a glass: rich concentration and real power held together by acidity that cuts like a wire. Candied citrus, apricot and ginger run into a salty, mineral finish that simply does not stop. Still alive, still kicking.
About
Cristal 1996 pairs the original prestige cuvee with one of Champagne's most argued-about vintages. The 1996 season produced the famous double ten - roughly 10 degrees of potential alcohol and 10 g/l of acidity at once, ripeness and acid that are not supposed to coexist - which is why the vintage was hailed at release and debated ever since. Cristal itself dates to 1876, created for Tsar Alexander II, who wanted his reserved cuvee in a clear, flat-bottomed crystal bottle; it remained a private affair until the first commercial release in 1945.
The wine is estate fruit from Roederer's grand cru holdings across the Montagne de Reims, the Cote des Blancs and Ay - Pinot Noir-led, with sources putting the 1996 split anywhere between 55/45 and 60/40 against Chardonnay. In 1996 the house used almost no oak (about 3% of the blend) and let roughly 10% go through malolactic; the standard release spent about five years on lees, with dosage in the 10-12 g/l range of the era. This bottle is a French-market release with no printed disgorgement date - Roederer disgorged Cristal in batches over the years, so the lot code is the only marker it carries.
