Louis Roederer Cristal 2002
Vintage: 2002

Is this the greatest of all champagnes? It's certainly the glitziest. To be fair, though, if there was a list of 50 points one needed to make the perfect champagne, Cristal would probably meet more requirements than any other. Krug is perhaps richer, Salon more honeyed and as elegant, but neither has quite the same combination of power and finesse. For the record, the grapes come exclusively from Roederer's own grand cru vineyards - and Roederer own the best vineyard land in Champagne. The blend is 40-45% chardonnay and 55-60% pinot noir, depending on the vintage, and the wine gets six years of bottle age before disgorgement. It is not made every year; on average, only every other year provides enough quality. It is also the only champagne that started its life as a private cuvée for a monarch; in this case, Tsar Alexander II of Imperial Russia, in 1876. It was made exclusively for his family until the Russian Revolution of 1917, after which production was ceased until the late 1920s. Cristal often suffers, though, from being drunk too young; it is perhaps at its best after 10-15 years, but little reaches that age, in truth. When young it is intensely fresh, edgy wine, with hints of honey on a base of summer fruits and brioche. It has huge richness and length, underpinned with firm acidity.