2004 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne

SKU #1063321 97 points Robert Parker's 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. This is Lot L033331E100008, disgorged January, 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2034. (12/ 2010)

97 points Wine & Spirits

*One of Wine & Spirits 100 Best Wines of 2011* 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.

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. Cellar Selection. (12/ 2012)

94 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

($229; 55% pinot noir and 45% chardonnay) Light, bright gold. Spicy citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complemented by chalk, white flowers and a touch of smokiness. Taut, linear lemon and orange rind flavors give way to deeper pear in the mid-palate and pick up notes of honeysuckle and toasted grain with air. Still very young but shows excellent promise. Finishes with good mineral cut and sappy persistence. (12/ 2010)

93 points Wine Spectator

Floral, citrus and spice aromas and flavors are at the forefront of this filigree, delicate Champagne, which is harmonious and well-defined, with a long aftertaste of roasted nut and toast. Very dry. Drink now through 2028. (12/ 2010)