2000 Louis Roederer Cristal Millesime Brut Champagne (1.5 L) Magnum

In the first vintage of the new millennium, Roederer’s Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon pulled off a remarkable feat with his tête de cuvée, Cristal. He took a cool, classic growing season and drove it STRAIGHT down the fairway, garnering a trifecta of 95-point scores from Vinous, Decanter, and Wine Advocate—even matching the score of 2000 Krug Clos du Mesnil in the latter. 

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 vessel. 

Over a century later, Cristal remains one of the world’s most iconic Champagnes: “Today,” wrote Richard Juhlin in Champagne Magnum Opus, “Cristal is the most sought after prestige champagne and has perhaps the most enticing appearance of all wines in the world.”  

But Lécaillon, Wine Spectator’s 2015 Winemaker of the Year, hasn’t been content to sit back and let stardom carry the brand. He continually strives to take the Tsar’s Champagne to new heights, using the wealth of Roederer’s Grand Cru and Premier Cru estate vineyards and “plot-by-plot vinification” to be able to assemble the greatest blend he possibly can each year. Only in years like 2000 does this selectivity and attention to detail truly set Cristal apart from the pack.

This Champagne defines luxury. Imagine the reaction of your guests, friends, and family when you bring this bottle out for them!