多谢Johnny分享难得佳酿与靓照! (此瓶自德国私人藏家处觅得) 

"水晶"香槟1985年份 (标准瓶)

Louis Roederer Cristal 1985 Brut Champagne (750ml)

葡萄配比: 60% 黑品乐, 40% 霞多丽

Grape proportions: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay

品饮于2010年10月31日

Tasted on Oct. 31, 2010

Cristal 1985: 老友喜重逢

老友,多年未见。惊喜的目光，温暖的双手，宽慰的笑容......如此亲近，那么自在，仿佛别离只在昨天。还是那么潇洒，但岁月已洗褪年少轻狂，而阅历添上了睿智沉稳。

品酒记录：

酒液暗金，略带琥珀调。起泡细小，疏朗。

在最初的轻微木塞味消散后，杯中释出细腻油润的核桃香（且丝毫没有过于氧化的气息，看来酒的状态很不错）。饮上一口，满口是迷人的白巧克力味，令人喜上眉梢；偏重的酒体，在口中很有份量，但因绸缎般滑腻的质地而毫无沉滞之虞（这便是香槟人所追求的Finesse吧）；从中段到尾韵，细致而深邃的核桃风味越发明晰。

酒在杯中持续演变，不断释出新的层次和内涵。

开瓶五分钟：油润的香气中透出一丝海风的咸腥。

六分种：香气又变为麦芽糖似的浓稠，将细致的核桃香包裹起来；口感中白巧克力的浓滑却悄然隐去，核桃风味和圆熟酸度则更为凸显。

二十五分：香气这才盛放：迷人的巧克力与太妃糖，硬朗的白垩岩与深邃的檀香木，全糅合在一起，实力不俗！口感与香气同样出彩：浓滑的白巧克力，细致而有穿透力的檀香木与核桃－－风味扎实，结构沉稳，果然大家风范！

三刻钟：被蜜糖般浓缩甜美包裹的榛仁，核桃和檀香木风味在中段和尾韵突围而出。

五十分：细腻的油香轻裹住硬朗的核桃与浓郁的巧克力。

一小时零五分：香气细致而有层次：檀香木，海风，核桃与巧克力。

一个半小时：口感依然平衡，尾韵交织着蜜糖的甜美和檀香木的优雅。

又及：我在阅读Hugh Johnson与Jancis Robinson合著之Wine Altas《世界葡萄酒地图》第六版中译本时,发现作者在对"水晶"Cristal香槟的介绍中，犯了一个想当然的错误－－而这个错误恰恰与Cristal香槟的最显著特点有关！酒友们，你们能找出下文中的错误吗？（我相信是原著之错，因为中文版译者不至于犯这样的翻译错误......)

《世界葡萄酒地图》第六版中译本 第78页 香槟区(题图Cristal香槟的文字介绍)

"Louis Roederer的顶级Cristal香槟，金黄酒标的透明瓶身在繁华的餐厅里更为醒目，瓶底的传统凹底设计可以帮助倒酒者，在堆叠时也更为安全。 "

如果你对Cristal香槟不熟悉，也可从以下转载的香槟权威之一Richard Juhlin的Cristal香槟专题文章中找到答案！

==================================================================================================

Cristal, glorified by the clear bottle with its golden wrapping.

Cristal, just the name makes most of us burst into an enjoyable smile. Either we feel a historic reverence before the Russian tsar witch we have gratitude for the magical wine or that we associate the proudest of all champagne bottles and everything in its glittering wake. Think about all the classic film scenes which have been glorified by the clear bottle with its golden wrapping. Cristal is now the foremost choice in Hollywood when illustrating a luxurious situation, even thou Hip-Hop stars recently got pissed off that they did not get recognition from Louis Roederer despite their Cristal worship. However the symbol has already become so strong that it is impossible for the stars to get their fans to change to another brand.

That a music movement has appreciation for this world famous wine is well in order. What’s worst is when I was in Saint Tropez and saw young jetsetters splashing Cristal from magnum bottles in known racing drivers fashion just to show of their economic muscles, and unwittingly exposing their minimal brain capacity.

The history behind the mythical wine derives from the time when Russia was the largest export market for many of the famous champagne houses in Reims. Foremost reputation among the most powerful Russians had Louis Roederer. But the Russian tsar Alexander II was not satisfied with serving the same champagne as his subjects, so he called Louis Roederer to a meeting where it was decided that he would get his very own remarkable and fantastic bottle to show his guests. In 1876 he placed a special purchase order for the first transparent Cristal bottles with a flat bottom, which at that time were made of genuine crystal.
The wine was incomparably sweet and caused Roederer certain sales problems after the Russian revolution as they had unpaid invoices and a stock of sweet champagne that no one wanted. Rumors flourish frequently that there may still be bottles left from the days of the tsar in Russia, or on the bottom of the sea in sunken ships. How ever nothing suggests that any such bottles exist. After World War II Roederers management felt that it was time to renew the Russian connection when they wanted to find an equivalent to Moet & Chandons successful prestige champagne Dom Pérignon. It was an easy decision to reintroduce the tsar’s old bottle in a modern shape filled with a bubbly dry wine.

The wine is made since 1970 solely in stainless steel tanks with grapes from their own vineyards in Aÿ, Verenay,Verzyand and Cumiéres, mainly Pinot Noire and Chardonnay from Avize and Mesnil. It´s style is ultra sophisticated with a wild silky softness in combination with a nutty fireworks backed by exotic fruitiness in a caramel filled body. When Cristal is at it´s best I discover tones of everything that makes life worth living. In short one of the most perfect classic champagnes the world has to offer. Cristal Rosé is an even more expensive and uncommon product which has been cast in a similar form, but in it´s lovely figures it moves slightly more to strawberries with cream. It gets it´s color from contact with peelings from Pinot grapes which have grown on old grape vines in Aÿ. Composition of grapes is most often 70% Pinot Noir and 30 % Chardonnay. To me this rosé wine is without a doubt the worlds foremost rosé all categories.

How is the quality today seen from a historical perspective? In august 2007 I updated my already voluminous testing register of this fantastic wine at an extremely extensive Cristal testing at the great and now starred Solleröd Kro north of Copenhagen. A private Danish real enthusiast that performed the same type of testing last year of Dom Pérignon had collected the wines during thirteen years. The whole event was superbly conducted. The Scandinavian testing group enjoyed a wonderful day with colossal quantities of first class food and Cristal in equal amounts.

Winner this time was found among the middle aged wines. Most impressive where vintage 1979 and 1982, taken into account that older vintages cost a fortune purchase should be made among the younger vintages. It should how ever be mentioned that vintages 40-, 50-, and 60- when in perfect condition, are worth every penny. 

What then is the greatest Cristal ever made? If you want to learn it so I would suggest a dinner preceded by the 1988 Cristal Rosé and Cristal Rosé 1979 followed by a generous serving of duckliver with the 1949 and 1955. I hardly think that the old tsar would turn in his grave.

Stockholm, Richard Juhlin
=================================================================================================

好了,有朋友找到答案了: "水晶"香槟(及"水晶"粉红香槟)瓶底是平的! 这个设计在芸芸香槟中怕是别无分号! (如果你发现任何其它品种香槟瓶底也是平的,请一定通知我!)

有图有真相

作为俄国沙皇亚历山大二世御用定制品而诞生的"水晶"香槟：其酒瓶设计追求与众不同，这是沙皇的基本要求－当初是用真正水晶做的透明瓶，但为何一反香槟瓶凹底传统而做成平底呢？有种传说是沙皇怕有人在御酒中下毒，所以要求用透明平底瓶，以便观察瓶中酒是否澄清，是否含有任何可疑的混浊或沉淀物......当然这只是一种传说。二战后，Louis Roederer香槟厂在酝酿其商业性推出的顶级香槟时，自然套用了“水晶”香槟的历史概念：当然，透明酒瓶材质不再是真水晶，酒的口感也从沙皇嗜好的极甜转为现代消费者所青睐的不甜口感了。