Roederer’s most famous wine was created in 1876 to satisfy the demanding tastes of Tsar Alexander II. Particularly fond of the House’s wine, the emperor asked Louis Roederer to reserve the best cuvee for him every year. To distinguish this cuvee, this exceptional champagne came in a flat-bottomed, transparent lead-crystal bottle. The new brand was named after this precious material, which is particularly transparent and luminous.

Produced only during the best vintage years, when the Chardonnay (around 40%) and Pinot Noir (around 60%) grapes have attained perfect maturity, Cristal is aged for 6 years in Louis Roederer’s cellars and left for a further 8 months after degorgement.

Cristal is a remarkably balanced and refined champagne whose length is inimitable. It has a silky texture and fruity aromas, complemented by a powerful mineral quality with white fruit and citrus notes. Cristal is a wine that keeps well: it can be aged for over twenty years without losing its freshness and character.

The 2007 Louis Roederer Cristal is a prestigious Champagne blend from France, recognized for its finesse and complexity. This vintage is composed of 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay, with some vins clairs barrel-fermented and a dosage of around 9 grams per liter. The wine did not undergo malolactic fermentation and was aged on the lees for five years before disgorgement in 2015.

James Suckling's review acknowledges its mature peak, noting "gentle notes of ginger and spice" alongside "peachy fruit" with a "long layered finish." Robert Parker's Wine Advocate calls Cristal the "first terroir cuvée of the Champagne," emphasizing its "silky textured, pure and precise" nature, and praising its powerful and expressive qualities. The review highlights its "great tension and grip" and a "very long and persistent finish," attributing much of its finesse to the chalk terroir.

Wine Spectator describes the 2007 Cristal as having "lovely texture and harmony," with "finely knit flavors of green pear and raspberry fruit" and a "creamy finish." Vinous, while acknowledging the wine as "reticent," notes its substantial Chardonnay content, a rarity for Cristal, and mentions its "freakishly early year" harvest.

Wine Enthusiast finds the 2007 Cristal to be a "beautiful, balanced wine" with ripe apple flavors and hints of almonds, appreciating its elegant style and "fragrant acidity." Wine & Spirits praises the wine's chalk-driven "tension and length," describing it as "smooth, gracious and gentle." Lastly, John Gilman offers a high score of 96, noting its "impeccable balance" and "outstanding length and grip."

Overall, the 2007 Cristal is a complex, elegant Champagne that continues to impress critics, with a balance and finesse that suggest further aging potential.