Hah, never seen Cristal pour faster...

Working one last dinner in the Berkshires brought Frederic Rouzaud of Louis Roederer to the area for a Cristal and Pichon lalande wine diner.

The collection of wines included:

Louis Roederer Brut Premier Magnum
Louis Roederer Brut 1985
Louis Roederer Brut Vintage 1990
Cristal 1996, 2000
Cristal Rosè 1996 2000
Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande 1982, 1996, 2005

The Brut 1985 was brilliant, complex and if I could put it into words it was like drinking honey graham crackers.  The 1990 wasnt holding up as nice and had an edgy oxidation that wasnt so attractive.  For the Cristal I preferred the 2000. It was rich, powerful, crisp and seductive while the 1996 (also amazing) was long, deep, more complex and had nutty characteristics.  The second growth Lalande uses the highest percentage of Merlot in Pauillac which I thought really stood out in the 2005.  The 1996 had reached a nice stage with loads of tobacco and cigar box, and a slight gaminess to it.  I didn't taste the '82 but have in the past and a year ago it was amazingly complex and definitely my favorite vintage.

The title of this post comes from the Notorious B.I.G. song ''Your nobody 'till somebody kills you''.  The album was released in 1996 and Biggie was the first rapper to promote Cristal in his songs and hip hop culture (which contributed to Cristal's success in America).  Ten years later Jay-Z started a Cristal boycott after Mr. Rouzaud made some comments in the Economist towards rappers drinking and promoting the Champagne that Jay-Z saw as snotty and racist.

I will bring you back to 1996.. where all of the sommeliers of my generation enjoy a little Cristal and Biggie Smalls.

(Second verse)

Uhh, uhh
Watch Casino, I'm the hip-hop version of Nicky Tarantino
Ask Nino, he know
Green with envy, the green tempts me
to make the richest enemy, and take their cheese
Take their spots, take their keys, make my faculty
live happily, ever after in laughter
Hah, never seen Cristal pour faster
And to those bastards, knuckleheads squeeze lead
Three of mine dead, nothing left to do
but tear they ass to shreds, leave em in bloodshed
Incidents like this I take trips
Lay up in Miami with Tamika and Tammy (huh)
Some Creole C-O bitches I met on tour
Push a peach Legend Coupe, gold teeth galore
Told me meet em in the future later, they'll take me shopping
buy me lavender and fuschia Gators
Introduce me to player haters and heavy weighters
Rich bitch shit, drinking Cristal
til they piss the shit, uhh
Thorough bitches, death to any borough bitches
Be in spots where they were no bitches, you feel me
Reminisce on dead friends too
You're nobody 'til somebody kills you

Cheers, motha fuckas!  Cristal spillin out the seams.