Roederer/Louis Brut Champagne Cristal 2004

100 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2004 Cristal has always been one of my favorites. It is all that again today. A Champagne of precision and nuance, the 2004 impresses with its linear cut and saline intensity. Readers will find a Cristal built on vibrancy more than power or opulence. In this tasting, the 2004 is an absolute stunner. These were the highest yields, even in Champagne. 'We dropped half the crop on the Chardonnay and still picked 18,000 kilos (per hectare). That’s massive. We would have picked 25,000 otherwise.' I have always loved the 2004 for its purity. That quality is very much on display today. This is an especially fine bottle, the best I have tasted so far. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged: 2011. Drink: 2023-2044. (Dec 2023)"

99 points Tom Stevenson (The World of Fine Wine): "(45% Chardonnay, 55% Pinot Noir; 12%ABV; 9g/l). The laser-like focus, sheer finesse, and beauty of this wine have been strikingly evident since the get-go and remain so to this day—and that’s the 75cl bottle. The magnum is so fresh and full of gorgeously pristine fruit that it is all too easy to overlook its complexity. Mesmerizing. (Jul 2024)"

97 points Antonio Galloni (Wine Advocate): "The 2004 Brut Cristal has put on quite a bit of weight since I first tasted it earlier this year. It is a powerful, structured Cristal layered with considerable fruit. Chardonnay seems to play the leading role in 2004, at least today. Cristal is often accessible young, but that is far from the case here. This is a serious, painfully young Cristal that will require considerable patience. Readers who are willing to spend some time with the wine today will find a super-impressive, complete Cristal. The 2004 Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2034. (12/23/2010)"

97 points James Suckling: "What a stunning nose of brioche, toasted baguette and smoke this almost 20-year-old champagne has! Deep base of chalky character wrapped in Amalfi lemon and with savory and salty notes that build in intensity at the long, structured finish. Still many years ahead of it. A cuvee of 53% pinot noir and 47% chardonnay. Tasted at the Cristal vertical tasting at the champagne house on July 6th, 2023. Drink or hold. (7/21/23)"

97 points Wine Enthusiast: "Exceptionally rich and dense, an exceptional wine that reveals itself in layers, from the first fruit attack to the mineral texture and the way it gradually fills the mouth. Selected from old vines, there is a great flavor in this wine, with the promise of many years’ aging. A Cellar Selection. (Dec 2010)"

97 points Wine & Spirits: "The energy in this wine recalls the 2002 Cristal (I wrote 'energy' three times in my notes.) In 2004, it’s explosive. The wine is saturated with flavor, from floral notes of rose to pale limestone and equally pale fruit. The flavors keep going, as if striding through doorway after doorway in a limestone cellar, the Champenois equivalent of Get Smart. Built to age as gracefully as Agent 99, this won’t disappoint if you open it now with scallop crudo. (Dec 2011)"

95-97 points Essi Avellan, MW: "(55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay). Very pale lemon. Gorgeous gunpowder enriched perfumy nose with lemon, green apple and peach. Zesty and vivacious, light-weight palate with fine intensity. Long, pure and hugely energetic. Elegant, light and lively. Not the grandest or densest, but an epitome of finesse. Crafted to perfection, sheer delight, this particular bottle is the best bottle of Cristal 2004 I have encountered but the rest have been excellent, too. (Nov 2020)"

96+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2004 Cristal strikes me as an absolute classic in the making that will only really show its complete potential with extended bottle age. This was a warm vintage that produced beautifully ripe, but not overripe grapes and a very fine harvest season that allowed grapes to be collected in optimal condition throughout the different Champagne sub-regions. Twenty to twenty-five percent of the 2004 Cristal was barrel-fermented, with some battonage used for a percentage of the cuvée. The nose on the ’04 is deep and utterly refined, wafting from the glass in a blend of apple, pear, brioche, a lovely touch of orange zest, a beautifully complex base of chalky soil tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully-balanced, with a lovely sense of reserve, superb mid-palate depth, zesty, pinpoint bubbles, crisp acids and laser-like focus on the nascently complex and stunning length and grip on the dancing finish. One can certainly drink the 2004 Cristal today with great enjoyment, but the real fireworks here are not going to start until this wine has rested quietly in the cellar for another decade! A stunning Cristal. 2015-2040. (Jul/Aug 2012)"

94-96 points Richard Juhlin (Jul 2012).

95 points Falstaff: "Medium yellow-green, fine, persistent mousse. Finely fragrant floral nuances, delicate notes of blossom honey, pleasant minerality, underlaid by a hint of tangerines and biscuity notes. Juicy and freshly structured on the palate, seems very vibrant, expressive undertones, passion fruit hints on the finish, ample fruity aftertaste. Very good length, a jewel of finesse and aromatic depth. (11/23/12)"

*** Peter Liem (ChampagneGuide.net): "While it's difficult to follow a grand vintage such as 2002, it has become apparent that 2004 is an excellent vintage in its own right, and Roederer's champagnes in particular are superb. The 2004 Cristal is a markedly different wine than its predecessor, focusing more on elegance and precision than on overt richness. At the same time, this bottle, disgorged in September of 2010, is just beginning to show the luscious, golden overtones so typical of Cristal, and while it's still extremely youthful and undeveloped, it possesses an exceptional harmony and a subtle, complex nuance. The finish is terrific, dominated by chalky minerality and persisting with outstanding length and detail. As always with a young Cristal, it's almost a pity to drink this now, and it really deserves another decade or two in the cellar. Last tasted: 9/11."