About

Cristal champagne is Louis Roederer's prestige cuvee brand. The current Cristal champagne style is elegant, pure and creamy. Additional information about other Louis Roederer labels can be found in our Louis Roederer report.

Producer Website

www.louis-roederer.com/en

History

Cristal Champagne is rich in history. The original version was made exclusively for the court of Russian Tsar Alexander II. It was a much sweeter version than the magnificent brut style produced today. Cristal champagne was arguably the first prestige cuvee ever made, but it did not become commercially available until after Dom Perignon champagne was marketed by Moet and Chandon. So, the designation is often compartmentalized between Cristal and Moet & Chandon.

Cristal has been a part of pop culture. Prior to 2006, hip hop/rap music groups revered Cristal so much they affectionately referred to it in hip hop lyrics as “Cris”. Statements by managing director Frederic Rouzaud in 2006 were perceived as negative regarding hip hop popularity. This led to a boycott by rappers who had previously been loyal to the brand.

Today, Cristal is generally aged 6 to 7 years even though French law requires vintage champagne to only be aged a minimum of 36 months. Bottles are now wrapped in colored cellophane to minimize the effects of UV light.