Ratings & Tasting Notes:

99 points — Decanter
A lovely creamy, soft, silky texture that belies the length, depth and reach of this classically elegant and vibrant Champagne. Beautifully mature and ready now, but no hurry to drink up, thanks to the vein of life-giving acidity that gently cradles it. The reviewer’s verdict: pure nectar.

97 points — Wine Advocate (May 2018)
Blending 62% Pinot Noir with 38% Chardonnay, fermented without malolactic and disgorged in 1996 after five years on its lees, the 1990 Cristal remains a superb and amazing prestige Champagne, far from over-matured or faded — a rich, exotic beauty that is still fresh, vibrant and full of life. The reviewer, returning to it twelve years after a large 1990 Champagne tasting, was delighted to find it had continued to blossom and admitted he had underrated it in 2006. Where the muscular nature of the vintage once dominated, the additional bottle age has brought Cristal’s inherent elegance to the fore, leaving a wine now classical in profile and an absolute joy to drink.

97 points — Vinous
Remarkable. Polished, nuanced and light on its feet, the 1990 is all class, with citrus, orchard fruit and floral notes wonderfully lifted throughout and a slight reductive note adding character to the finely knit finish. The reviewer calls it a total rock star, much more delicate than most wines from this ripe vintage, and notes that it amazingly still tastes as though it is not ready. He records chef de caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon’s own view that 1990 — his second vintage at the house — was ideal, with perfect fruit.

94 points — Wine Spectator (December 1998)
A vivid and expressive Champagne you won’t soon forget, packing in compound layers of citrus, vanilla, pear and nutmeg that harmonise and linger on the finish. Bright acidity makes it extra refreshing and layered.

Cult Wines International Notes:

Louis Roederer was founded in Reims in 1776 and remains one of the rare family-owned houses in Champagne, still directed by the Roederer family. It is also among the very few to own the large majority of its own vineyards, a degree of self-sufficiency almost unheard of in the region. Cristal was created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II, who is said to have requested a clear flat-bottomed bottle so that no assassin could conceal a device beneath it — the origin of the flat base and clear glass the bottle still carries, wrapped since in its protective amber cellophane. It is made only in declared vintages, from the house’s oldest and best-sited parcels.

1990 was an outstanding Champagne vintage and the second at the house for chef de caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, who has described the fruit that year as simply perfect. This Cristal is 62% Pinot Noir and 38% Chardonnay, fermented without malolactic, aged some six years on its lees and disgorged in 1996. It is a dramatic, sweeping wine — apricot, peach, citrus, orchard fruit, pear, candied mandarin and raspberry over white flowers, almond, hazelnut, vanilla, nutmeg, caramel and minerals — combining size with clarity and focus. The texture is creamy, soft and silky, the finish long and syrupy, and a vein of bright acidity runs beneath and cradles the whole. Beautifully mature and drinking now, yet several reviewers have remarked that it still tastes as though it has further to go.

Bottle Size:

750 mL

Storage History:

Perfectly stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar. These bottles were kept in their original shipping boxes and never opened until we received them.

Condition:

Outstanding condition as shown. Color has darkened due to 30+ years of cellaring.

Please watch the video below to see these bottles being opened and unveiled for the first time since release.

Please note: The condition of the bottle you will receive is accurately reflected by the one shown in the images.