Which French champagne house creates the luxury cuvée Cristal?

The French champagne house that creates the luxury cuvée Cristal is Louis Roederer. Cristal is the house’s flagship prestige champagne and was first created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II of Russia.

The original bottle was made from clear glass with a flat base. The transparent design reportedly allowed the tsar to inspect the wine and made it harder to conceal an explosive beneath the bottle, while the flat bottom avoided the deep punt common in Champagne bottles. The unusual vessel helped give the wine its name, Cristal.

Cristal is not the same as Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot, or Moët & Chandon, although all are famous Champagne names. It is generally a vintage wine, traditionally made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay selected from Louis Roederer’s grand cru vineyards. The wine was initially reserved for the Russian imperial court and was not commercially released until 1945.