Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal Brut (in gift box) 2012

There’s Champagne and there’s Cristal, a legend ever since Tzar Alexander II demanded it in specially commissioned clear bottles in 1876. The fact that the wine was not commercially available until 1945 merely elevated its cachet. More recently, Cristal gained notoriety as the preferred Champagne of high profile rap artists including 50 Cent and Puff Daddy. Sales continue to boom. Hugh Johnson calls it “fabulous, one of the most luscious Champagnes, racy but deeply flavoured” (Wine Companion). Its rare quality is derived from Roederer’s marvellous Grand Cru vineyards, which rank 98% on the region’s Echelle des Crus (a vinous league table). Wine Advocate declared "Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon has once again excelled himself."