In 1876, Tsar Alexander II - already a great lover of Louis Roederer wines - asked Louis Roederer to ‘take the exercise still further‘ and create a cuvée for his personal use which was unique, in terms of both its style and the bottle. Louis Roederer offered him an exceptional crystal bottle, holding the fruit of vines selected from the seven great crus on his estate. The chardonnay and pinot noir grapes provide the subtle, precise balance that has now become synonymous with the leading prestige cuvée of Champagne. Cristal is Louis Roederer’s flagship cuvée, composed of Grand Crus from the Montagne de Reims, the Marne Valley and the Côte des Blancs.

Beautifully enhanced by an exceptional vintage, the Cristal Late Release 2008 captures all the virtuosity of a great year, combined with the perfect expression of a great terroir wine coaxed out by extended ageing. True to the style of the original Cristal, it possesses that same incredible freshness and timeless saline signature.

Cristal Late Release extends the story of the original Cristal, revealing a singular expression of time. Produced only in exceptional vintages and aged for many years sur lattes, it remains true to Cristal’s signature chalky purity, tension and precision. 

Cristal Late Release 2008 was carefully preserved for nearly two decades in the cool darkness of Louis Roederer's cellars, under perfect temperature and humidity conditions, this vintage champagne is a wine of remarkable maturity, nourished by prolonged ageing sur lattes. The 2008 vintage rested for 13 years before its disgorgement and dosage. Cristal Late Release is then aged under cork for a further four years in the Louis Roederer cellars, allowing its texture to refine and its flavours to harmonise. The prolonged ageing concentrates the wine’s textures and aromas, adding a tactile dimension: a radiant depth that extends and beautifully refines the signature of the original Cristal. There is then a fleeting moment of grace - that moment of perfect balance when “perfumes and colours and sounds correspond”; a profound harmony, a multifaceted sensory experience that echoes Baudelaire’s ideal, where the wine reveals itself in its most perfect expression.

Disgorgement: March 16, 2022

On the nose, a blend of ripe, candied citrus-like notes mingles with almond, wheat and lightly roasted cocoa beans. Lightness and precision are the hallmarks of this champagne, whose aromas are fresh, clean cut, and almost floral, as if the wine had just blossomed. It has matured gracefully; its aromas and texture have concentrated over the years, preserving the saline character and the drying freshness of the chalk that underpins its initial finesse, all accompanied by a wonderful tactile sensation. The bubbles have also benefited from the long ageing process, becoming softer and smoother, melting into the texture, and thus reinforcing the salinity to the point of forming “salt bubbles”. The palate, now deeper and denser, also appears more composed and appetising, with a hint of white chocolate. A sensation of great depth and remarkably fine balance pervades the whole. This is a seamless, instantly appealing wine, with a saline character and a finish punctuated by refined, noble bitters and lingering notes of Havana cigar, cedar, and undergrowth.

Shaped by a particularly dry yet cool summer, the 2008 vintage clearly falls into the category of dense and powerful ‘continental’ vintages, characterised by great concentration. However, the unusually cool summer temperatures left their mark on this vintage, giving it an incredibly intense and saline freshness.

The strength and finesse of Cristal are perfectly suited to delicate foods. It is a flattering accompaniment to caviar, fish and shellfish such as scallops, John Dory, lobster and crayfish. The ideal serving temperature is between 46°F and 50°F.