Created in 1876 for Alexander II, Cristal is considered by Louis Roederer to be the first prestige champagne in history
In 2026, the Reims house Louis Roederer is celebrating two anniversaries at once: 250 years since its founding and 150 years of Cristal, the champagne it created in 1876 at the request of Tsar Alexander II of Russia. According to the house itself, Cristal was the first cuvée de prestige in the history of champagne, the category of top bottlings that every major house now has.
Roederer was founded in 1776. In 1833, Louis Roederer inherited the house, gave it his name and began buying vineyards on the region's best sites, something unusual at the time. Over the 19th century, the house won markets abroad, most notably Russia, according to Roederer's official website. It was for that client that Cristal was born.
The bottle tells part of the story. According to Elite Traveler magazine, the tsar feared that enemies might hide an explosive in the hollow at the base of the bottle, and Roederer responded with clear glass and a flat bottom. Clear glass, however, leaves the wine exposed to light, which can spoil it; that is why today's Cristal comes wrapped in gold cellophane.
The house went through crises in the 20th century. Camille Olry-Roederer ran Roederer for 43 years and rebuilt its international reputation; then came Jean-Claude Rouzaud, who created Cristal Rosé in 1974. Today the house is led by Frédéric Rouzaud, of the seventh generation, and remains family-owned and independent. Cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon has held the post since 1999, according to Elite Traveler.
Cristal is made only in vintages the house considers perfectly ripe and comes from the estate's chalkiest soils. According to Paris Gourmand, the grapes come from 45 plots in seven grand cru villages. For the anniversary, Roederer is highlighting two rare versions, Cristal Late Release 2008, which spent 12 years and 9 months on its lees, and Cristal Rosé Late Release 2008. The French magazine lists prices of 490 to 650 euros for the first and 790 to 970 euros for the second.
Roederer now has 250 hectares of vineyards in more than 420 plots, and 135 hectares are certified organic, which makes it the largest organic estate in Champagne, according to the house. In the Bebidário catalog, to compare the styles of major Champagne houses, there are Moët Impérial Brut and Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut, non-vintage champagnes.
Sources: Louis Roederer (official website, 2026), Elite Traveler (July 3, 2026), Paris Gourmand (September 2026).
