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Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé Vinothèque 2008
Sparkling roséFrance2008
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2024-10-06 · Published 2026-09-30 · Updated 2026-09-30
At a glance
In one line
5.0/5 — higher than Vivino's 4.5 average · world avg price US$1,019 · The rosé of Cristal — the clear bottle made in 1876 for a Russian tsar.
Wine-Searcher shows no prices or reviews for a '2008 Vinothèque'. The regular Cristal Rosé 2008 aggregates 97 across 11 critic reviews. Jancis Robinson notes that 2008 was Roederer's first fully certified organic year. Vivino shows no critic score.
Market note: Wine-Searcher's list of Cristal Rosé Vinothèque vintages (1983–2013) does not include 2008 (Sep 2026). Vinothèque rosé averages US$2,171 across vintages (96), with 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2004 on sale. The regular Cristal Rosé 2008 has a world average of US$1,019 / 750ml (ex-tax); single bottles run from US$829.99 (Los Angeles) to US$987.45 (UK in bond), and some merchants label it 'Late Release'.
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“완벽하다. 나에게 로제는 처음에 입에서 따로 놀아 싫고 화장품 냄새처럼 블렌딩이 된 것들을 먹어 불호였다. 그 이후 돔 로제를 만나고 숙성으로 로제를 재밌게 풀어나가며 로제의 눈을 뜨게 해주었다. 빌까르 살몽도 훌륭한 로제를 보여주었다. 하지만 크리스탈 로제는 그냥 완벽하다. 이 로제를 입에 담는 순간 일단 고급스런 샴을 먹을 때의 모든 뉘앙스를 느끼며 뒤로 아. 이거 로제라서 다르다. 를 느꼈다. 그동안의 로제 들은 전부 다른 색의 자기 개성들을 보여주며 난 이런 로제야. 난 저런 로제야. 이러며 서로 외치기 바빴지만. 이 황제의 로제는 로제를 기술로 보여주는 것이 아닌. 블렌딩으로도 완벽한 샴을 로제로 완성한다를 보여줬다. 샴을 한층 더 업그레이드 한 맛이다. 나의 그 어떤 샴보다 완벽했다! 다른 더 완벽한 로제샴이 있는지 궁금해지기 시작했다.”
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“완벽하다. 나에게 로제는 처음에 입에서 따로 놀아 싫고 화장품 냄세처럼 블랜딩이 된것들을 먹어 불호였다. 그 이후 돔 로제를 만나고 숙성으로 로제를 재밌게 풀어나가며 로제의 눈을 뜨게 해주었다. 빌까르 살몽도 훌륭한 로제를 보여주었다. 하지만 크리스탈 로제는 그냥 완벽하다. 이 로제를 입에 담는 순간 일단 고급스런 샴을 먹을때의 모든 뉘앙스를 느끼며 뒤로 아... 이거 로제라서 다르다... 를 느꼈다. 그동안의 로제 들은 전부 다른 색의 자기 개성들을 보여주며 난 이런 로제야!! 난 저런 로제야!! 이러며 서로 외치기 바빴지만... 이 황제의 로제는 로제를 기술로 보여주는 것이 아닌... 블랜딩으로도 완벽한 샴을 로제로 완성한다를 보여줬다. 샴을 한층 더 업그레이드 한 맛이다. 나의 그 어떤 샴보다 완벽했다! 다른 더 완벽한 로제샴이 있는지 궁금해지기 시작했다.”
Starting tomorrow, I'll read that night one line at a time.
Sunday, the bar's day off. After dinner I went into my parents' room, and Mum was at her dressing table putting on night cream. When she opened the lid, the smell of roses filled the room. She's used that cream for years. A sweet, powdery rose. Sitting at the end of the bed breathing it in, a night in October when I was twenty-six opened.
Twenty-six, the first Sunday night in October. Dad came home late from a dinner. I was passing down the hallway from the kitchen with a cup of tea. Their door was open, and Mum was at the dressing table putting on that cream, just like tonight. Dad walked in, sniffed and laughed. This smell is why I used to hate rosé, he said. When Mum said something back, he waved his hand. Not the cream — the rosés I used to drink. But tonight's rosé was different. A rosé that didn't feel like rosé; a very good champagne with one more layer. Then he said it was perfect, twice. I wasn't there, and I never saw the bottle. I don't know its name. I only remember the tea going cold in my hand in the hallway.
After Mum turned off the light, I opened the notebook in my room. That day had five lines. The last was one of the longest in the whole notebook. At first he'd disliked rosé, because it fell apart in the mouth and smelled like cosmetics. Then an aged rosé opened his eyes to it, and Billecart-Salmon was excellent too — the name from page forty-eight. And the same words as his opening line: 'Cristal Rosé is simply perfect.' Dad called this bottle the emperor's rosé. Five stars. The bottle was Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé. I stuck on the wine-name Post-it. Probably Dad laughed at Mum's dressing table that night because he had finally made peace with a smell he'd disliked for so long.
Before bed I sent Master Seo a photo of the page. His answer came in one line.
Today is a page with no glass. Page fifty-four of the new notebook. In the scent column: 'Mum's cream = rose, powder — the smell of the rosés Dad disliked.' Beneath it, one line. That day has four more lines. Starting tomorrow, I'll read that night one line at a time.
What this wine is
Cristal is the champagne Louis Roederer created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II of Russia. The Tsar is said to have wanted a clear bottle, so he could see nothing was hidden inside, and a flat bottom, so no explosive could be concealed in the punt (Wikipedia, FRW). It only went on general sale in 1945, nearly seventy years later.
The rosé came much later. The first Cristal Rosé was the 1974, made by Jean-Claude Rouzaud around old-vine Pinot Noir from grand cru sites (FRW). Sources describe the method differently: Wikipedia says saignée; Decanter says the Pinot Noir from two Aÿ parcels is 'lightly macerated'; FRW says that from 2008 the Pinot Noir is cold-infused for up to ten days without punching down or pumping over. According to Decanter, all the Cristal Rosé vineyards have been farmed biodynamically since 2008.
Vinothèque is a series that re-releases Cristal after long cellaring. It began in 2017 with the 1995; the 1999 only came out in 2020, and fewer than 500 bottles of the 1999 Vinothèque rosé exist worldwide (Decanter). Vivino names this entry 'Vinothèque 2008', but Wine-Searcher has no 2008 Vinothèque. The bottle I drank may have been the regular Cristal Rosé 2008; the label in my photo from that night shows only 'Cristal Rosé 2008', with no Vinothèque marking visible. The house's everyday champagne is in the Brut Premier note.
What the world says
On Vivino, six people have rated the 'Cristal Rosé Vinothèque 2008'. The average isn't shown; the distribution is three fives and three fours (4.5 when calculated). The label as a whole averages 4.7 from 176. The suggested drinking window is listed as 2013–2023. Vivino shows no critic score.
"Strawberry, caramel." — Vivino review (2002 Vinothèque), Dec 2024, 5 stars
Keywords are few: strawberry (2) and red fruit, citrus, brioche and caramel once each. Structure shows acidity 4.4, fizziness 4.1 and intensity 4.0 — high acid, vigorous bubbles.
Wine-Searcher has no prices or reviews for a 2008 Vinothèque (Sep 2026). For reference, the regular Cristal Rosé 2008 aggregates 97 across 11 critic reviews, with a world average of US$1,019 / 750ml (ex-tax); single bottles run from US$829.99 in Los Angeles to US$987.45 in bond in the UK. Jancis Robinson calls 2008 a season as cool as 2013 and notes its beautiful balance and amazing persistence. Vinothèque rosé averages US$2,171 across vintages (96).
How I drank it
October 6, 2024, 5 stars. I logged five lines that day: Jacques Selosse Le Bout du Clos (5), Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault-Charmes Premier Cru 2018 (4.5), Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc 2018 (4), Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque 2018 (4.5), and, on the last line, this one.
The note begins with a confession. I disliked rosé because it fell apart in the mouth and smelled like cosmetics. Then Dom Pérignon Rosé showed me how age can unfold a rosé, and Billecart-Salmon Rosé was excellent too. But this bottle was simply perfect. The moment it touched my mouth, every nuance of a great champagne came first, and then, behind it, 'this is different because it's rosé.' While other rosés each shouted their own colour, I wrote, this emperor's rosé completed a perfect champagne as rosé through blending, not technique. More perfect than any champagne I'd had.
My 5 is half a point above the 4.5 implied by Vivino's distribution. Coming from someone who disliked rosé, it weighs more. The note's last sentence is a question: could there be a rosé champagne more perfect than this?
Where this wine shows up
In 1876 Louis Roederer made a flat-bottomed bottle of clear crystal glass for Tsar Alexander II of Russia, reportedly so that nothing could be hidden inside it or in the punt. It went on general sale only in 1945.
Wikipedia — Cristal (wine) · FRW — Everything you need to know about Cristal Champagne
Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.
Vivino community data
2008 vintage rating distribution (6 ratings, average 4.5)
| 5★ | 3 (50%) | |
| 4★ | 3 (50%) | |
| 3★ | 0 (0%) | |
| 2★ | 0 (0%) | |
| 1★ | 0 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Red fruit | 3 | strawberry 2 · red fruit 1 |
| Citrus | 1 | citrus 1 |
| Bread & nuts | 1 | brioche 1 |
| Oak | 1 | caramel 1 |
Structure: Acidity 4.4/5 · Intensity 4.0/5 · Fizziness 4.1/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 176 ratings, average 4.7)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|
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→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Cristal Rosé?
The rosé version of Cristal, which Louis Roederer created in 1876 for the Russian Tsar. The first vintage was 1974. It's made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; Vinothèque is the series that re-releases it after long cellaring.
How much does it cost?
Wine-Searcher has no price for a 2008 Vinothèque (Sep 2026). For reference, the regular Cristal Rosé 2008 averages US$1,019 per 750ml (ex-tax), and Vinothèque rosé averages US$2,171 across vintages.
What food goes with it?
The Vivino community suggests pork, shellfish, rich fish such as salmon and tuna, and mild soft cheese.
Why is Cristal in a clear bottle?
In 1876 Tsar Alexander II of Russia is said to have wanted a clear, flat-bottomed bottle so nothing could be hidden inside. Because clear glass is vulnerable to light, it is sold wrapped in gold cellophane.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Wikipedia — Cristal (wine)
- FRW — Everything you need to know about Cristal Champagne
- Decanter — Cristal Vinothèque: The ultimate luxury fizz?
- Wine-Searcher — Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé (2008 / Vinothèque)
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