2002 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne

First reviewed a decade ago by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, this 2002 Cristal earned 96+ points. But in May of 2018, Parker upped the ante by promoting it to a 98-point rating and catapulting it into the Top 15 highest-rated vintage-dated Champagnes from the Advocate—ever.

The superlatives are many, and deserved: “fabulous wine!” “amazing richness and concentration,” “deep, ripe and elegant fruit,” “white chocolate, wet chalk, wild vanilla and pepper (typical for 2002) as well as terroir-driven truffle notes,” “very elegant,” on and on. This is the O.G. of Champagne, an icon you can enjoy now or cellar for another 20 years, and the must-have legendary vintage jewel that will be a showpiece in your cellar. One of the greatest Champagnes of the 21st Century. 

First created to satisfy the refined palate of Tsar Alexander II in 1876, Louis Roederer’s Cristal has been an icon ever since. The emperor asked Roederer to reserve its best cuvée for him in exceptional vintages. To distinguish the Tsar’s Champagne from the rest, the wine came in a flat-bottomed, lead-glass “crystal” bottle. The brand later took its name from that precious vessel. 

Over a century later, Cristal remains one of the world’s most iconic Champagnes. But Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Wine Spectator’s 2015 Winemaker of the Year, isn’t content to sit back and let stardom carry the brand. He continually strives to take the Tsar’s Champagne to new heights. And this 2002 is truly special—only the second blend in the history of Cristal to leverage all 42 vineyard plots typically reserved for Cristal.

The Wine Advocate’s Stephan Reinhardt said it best: “If you prefer Cristal in a bigger, richer and more concentrated style, you should go for the caressing 2002,” and noting that upon re-release it sold out immediately, leaving readers the chance to possibly find a bottle “at least in three-star Michelin restaurants.” 

Ripe, rich, and deeply concentrated, if you do find it at a Michelin-Three-Star restaurant, expect to pay $1,200 or so, like at The French Laundry. Or, you can thank us in the new year, after you’ve enjoyed a bottle for less than $500, or, you could write us in a decade or two and tell us about the fireworks show in your glass—because we’re taking a few bottles ourselves, just so we can compare notes. 

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Sweetness
• Acidity

• ABV 12.50%
• Enjoy right away
• Now – 2040
• % Chardonnay% Pinot Noir
• Serving temperature – 45°
• Cork