Louis Roederer Ticks off Rappers

[Mark Slater]

Copied from Decanter Magazine as reported in The Economist:

Rapper Jay-Z boycotts 'racist' Cristal

June 16, 2006

Richard Woodard

The US hip-hop community is set to boycott luxury Champagne Cristal after rapper Jay-Z accused the boss of Champagne house Louis Roederer of racism.

Jay-Z, who like other rappers and hip-hop artists frequently mentions Cristal in his lyrics, has also banned the cult cuvée from his 'upscale sports lounge', the 40/40 Club, replacing it with Dom Pérignon and Krug.

The boycott came after new Roederer managing director Frédéric Rouzaud told a special edition of The Economist that the house viewed Cristal's association with rap 'with curiosity and serenity'.

Asked if he thought the association would harm the brand, he replied, 'that's a good question, but what can we do? We can't forbid people from buying it. I'm sure Dom Pérignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business.'

'It has come to my attention that the managing director of Cristal, Frédéric Rouzaud, views the “hip-hop” culture as “unwelcome attention”', said Jay-Z. 'I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands, including the 40/40 Club, nor in my personal life.'

Cristal has been much in evidence in the past at Jay-Z's concerts, and his number one hit Hard Knock Life includes the lyric: 'Let's sip the Cris and get pissy-pissy.' Other rappers and hip-hop artists, such as Kanye West, 50 Cent and Mos Def, have shown similar allegiance to the brand.

Louis Roederer is yet to officially respond to Jay-Z's comments, although one source close to the company pointed out that the phrase 'unwelcome attention' was a sub-heading in The Economist, not a comment from Rouzaud. The source described the accusation of racism as 'ludicrous'.

Another Champagne industry insider pointed out that Dom Pérignon and Krug have been courting the hip-hop community for some time – and that their marketing budgets dwarf that of Roederer.

[cjsadler]

I saw something the other day that said hip-hop moguls are switching to Moscato d'Asti (seriously) Definitely easier on the pocketbook*

*I would have used the hip-hop slang for that phrase if I knew what it was.

[meatwad]

Rhyming with Moscato d'Asti? This is bad.

[Mark Slater]

Rhyming with Moscato d'Asti? This is bad.

You can count on Asti rhyming with "nasty".

[Waitman]

Later on that day

My homey Don Rocks came through with a gang of Bollinger

And a fat ass j, of some bubonic chronic that made me choke

Shit, this aint no joke

I had to back up off of it and sit my cup down

Bollinger and chronic, yeah I’m fucked up now

But it aint no stoppin, Im still poppin

Rocks got some wimmin from the city of Fairfax

What's their name? Well I didn't ask

Some baguettes, with Pont l’Eveque on top

Cause when I get my munchies, I’m goin’ straight for the food

Don’t get upset girl, that’s just how it goes

You’re great, but don’t you know, I’m out the do'

And Ill be

Rollin down the street, smokin indo, sippin on Krug and juice

Laid back [with my mind on the cepage and the cepage on my mind]

Rollin down the street, smokin indo, sippin on Krug and juice

Laid back [with my mind on the cepage and the cepageon my mind]

--Snoop

[DLB]

This is a bad business move. What is better than free advertisment? This should be a wake up call to the Hip Hop community to stop pushing products, and not being paid for it! However some rappers are being paid to include products in their songs and videos. That's the only way go!

[Joe Riley]

You can count on Asti rhyming with "nasty".

How about "Nasty Spumante"?

Some enterprising Champenoise should make a limited production bottling and market the bajeezus out of it to all of the nouveau riche image-conscious celebrities. It doesn't even have to be "good" so long as it is believed to be exclusive and limited and very expensive.

Let them drink (or, should I say, "waste") D.P. rosé, pouring it over people in videos. I've never sold a bottle of it, and I'm sure that Moët & Chandon makes a comparative ocean of the stuff. If someone wants to spend beaucoup bucks on a top rosé Champagne, I'm selling them Krug or Bollinger "Grand Année" Rosé. Both of those are gorgeous. The Krug tastes to me like Grand Cru Burgundy with bubbles, and the Bollinger is just sublime.

[Waitman]

The Post's always provacative and insightful Robin Givhan weighs in, here.

"While Jay-Z's indignation may indeed be righteous, his call to arms is akin to a millionaire calling for a boycott of Gulfstream jets. It's a little difficult for the average person -- happy with a $10 bottle of Prosecco -- to get too worked up. Such is the burden of tremendous wealth. The little people mock your pain."

[Mark Slater]

How about "Nasty Spumante"?

Some enterprising Champenoise should make a limited production bottling and market the bajeezus out of it to all of the nouveau riche image-conscious celebrities. It doesn't even have to be "good" so long as it is believed to be exclusive and limited and very expensive.

Let them drink (or, should I say, "waste") D.P. rosé, pouring it over people in videos. I've never sold a bottle of it, and I'm sure that Moët & Chandon makes a comparative ocean of the stuff. If someone wants to spend beaucoup bucks on a top rosé Champagne, I'm selling them Krug or Bollinger "Grand Année" Rosé. Both of those are gorgeous. The Krug tastes to me like Grand Cru Burgundy with bubbles, and the Bollinger is just sublime.

I agree about the Bolly. I had the distinct pleasure of explaining to Etienne Bizot, the director of Maison Bollinger, what the American English term "pulling it from the neck" meant. He was mortified.

[Michael Landrum]

How about "Nasty Spumante"?

I believe that Don has a prior-use claim to that name from his previous career.

I had the distinct pleasure of explaining to Etienne Bizot, the director of Maison Bollinger, what the American English term "pulling it from the neck" meant.

See above.

[Heather]

Some enterprising Champenoise should make a limited production bottling and market the bajeezus out of it to all of the nouveau riche image-conscious celebrities. It doesn't even have to be "good" so long as it is believed to be exclusive and limited and very expensive.

Are you saying this is not being done already?

And this little person absolutely mocks his pain. What a four-letter-word starting with t and ending with w-a-t.

[DLB]

Is Cristal really that good? I have not had the pleasure of tasting this or Dom. My favorite Champagne is Pommery, which is the most expesive bottle I have ever bought. How does Champagne like POM or Veuve Clicquot, which I like, compare to the status brands like Cristal or Dom? Is there really that much difference?

Also, hate to go off topic, I have an uncle who has been saving a 1974 bottle of Dom for last 30 years. That was the year my cousin was born. I keep telling him it's most likely useless at this point, since it's has not been stored correctly. Am I correct? Is there anyway to know if it's still good without opening the bottle?

[Sthitch]

Is Cristal really that good? I have not had the pleasure of tasting this or Dom. My favorite Champagne is Pommery, which is the most expesive bottle I have ever bought. How does Champagne like POM or Veuve Clicquot, which I like, compare to the status brands like Cristal or Dom? Is there really that much difference?

The difference is like riding in a Scion and a Lexus. I have always liked Cristal, but have never been wowed by it. It certainly is not my favorite Prestige Cuvee as of right now might be either Krug or Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill. Dom is rather interesting, many people I have spoken to can't understand why it has the reputation as a great wine. What I usually hear is something akin to "We were given a bottle for our wedding and drank it on our 10th anniversary and it tasted horrible." Come to find out they stored it on top of the refrigerator the entire time. Dom can be simply stunning stuff, and the aforementioned Dom Rose is one of the finest pink wines made (along with Cristal Rose, and Krug Rose). If you get a chance to drink either a young one, or one that has some years on it and has been stored properly give it a try, I think you will see that they have little in common with the NV that you have been drinking.

Also, hate to go off topic, I have an uncle who has been saving a 1974 bottle of Dom for last 30 years. That was the year my cousin was born. I keep telling him it's most likely useless at this point, since it's has not been stored correctly. Am I correct? Is there anyway to know if it's still good without opening the bottle?

That depends how it was stored, and if you like the taste of old Champagne. If stored properly it might be nice (I cannot remember what kind of vintage 1974 was in Champagne). I recently had a 1969 Krug that was still quite bright even though the bubbles had begun to fade. Now if it was poorly stored it is probably undrinkable. And by poorly stored, the back of a closet counts as poorly stored.

By the way, I am a bubble whore.

[Mark Slater]

Is Cristal really that good? I have not had the pleasure of tasting this or Dom. My favorite Champagne is Pommery, which is the most expesive bottle I have ever bought. How does Champagne like POM or Veuve Clicquot, which I like, compare to the status brands like Cristal or Dom? Is there really that much difference?

Also, hate to go off topic, I have an uncle who has been saving a 1974 bottle of Dom for last 30 years. That was the year my cousin was born. I keep telling him it's most likely useless at this point, since it's has not been stored correctly. Am I correct? Is there anyway to know if it's still good without opening the bottle?

Prestige Cuvées or Têtes de Cuvées like Dom Perignon and Cristal are made from higher rated grape sources/vineyards, usually 100% Grand Cru, than are regular releases like Pommery, Clicquot, Moet, etc. They are also released when they are on the way to being mature - 7 years after the vintage in the case of Dom Perignon. I had the pleasure of tasting Dom Perignon 1976, 1966 and 1962 recently in France and they were stunning bottles. The difference between them and your uncle's bottle is that these came from the cave they were made in and were disgorged within the last 3 months. They were fresh and very much alive. A 30 year old bottle sitting in the closet has little or no chance of being spectacular. But, there's only one way to find out.

[Joe Riley]

Is Cristal really that good? I have not had the pleasure of tasting this or Dom. My favorite Champagne is Pommery, which is the most expesive bottle I have ever bought. How does Champagne like POM or Veuve Clicquot, which I like, compare to the status brands like Cristal or Dom? Is there really that much difference?

Also, hate to go off topic, I have an uncle who has been saving a 1974 bottle of Dom for last 30 years. That was the year my cousin was born. I keep telling him it's most likely useless at this point, since it's has not been stored correctly. Am I correct? Is there anyway to know if it's still good without opening the bottle?

Let me try to answer your questions in order:

1) "Is Cristal really that good?" - Well, it all depends. Yes, it is really good, but whether or not it is worth it to you all comes down to diminishing marginal returns, i.e. will a $250 (+) Champagne give you more pleasure than a $30, $50, $80, $100 Champagne? Maybe, maybe not. For most folks, it simply doesn't. What you are paying for is an experience which is limited. There is, after all, only so much vintage Cristal made by Louis Roederer each year, and the price is more reflective of demand than quality, but again, economics 101 comes into play - if they sell every bottle at retail $250, why not raise the price until the market backlashes?

I've had 1982 Cristal at a relatively young bottle age, and I thought that it was perfectly fine, but I personally prefer the weightier Champagnes like Krug, and the style of Bollinger. So for me, no, Cristal isn't worth the money. I've never had aged Cristal though, and I wonder what it tastes like from a great vintage with 10+ years of bottle age on it.

2) Perhaps others can address the vintage quality of 1974 in Champagne (I BELIEVE it was a generally good, declared vintage) but the storage conditions of the bottle are paramount in determining whether or not it is still any good. Champagne is the most fragile of wines, the most easily damaged by light, heat, temperature variation and vibration.

The other thing to keep in mind is whether or not you actually LIKE older Champagne. The British, for example, LOVE older tones in Champagne, whereas the French much prefer younger bottles. The British accuse the French of infanticide and the French accuse the British of geriatricide. Older Champagne, properly stored and from a superior vintage, should have flavors of toast and nuts, slow rising bubbles (therefore less "froth") and will be less exhuberant, more wine-like, less forward, primary fruit. Regrettably, my experience with older Champagnes is limited, but I credit that to my impatience where Champagne is concerned.

I hope this made some sense.

[Sthitch]

About a year and a half ago I had the pleasure of having a 1982 Salon at a dinner, I was the only one at the table who liked it, everyone joked that it was because I was the only person who was English. Once paired with food, people thought that it was the finest wine of the night. I believe that older Champagnes benefit from being served with a meal, while younger Champagnes generally can stand alone.

Now Joe, you either need to have a little patience or find a generous English friend.

[Barbara]

When my uncle died in 1997, my aunt cleared out the liquor cabinet since she didn't really drink much at all. We took home a bottle of Cordon Rouge (date unknown) which had been sitting upright in the liquor cabinet for many, also unknown, years. When we opened it, we found that it was completely flat and curiously sweet. If one likes sweet wine, it was perfectly drinkable; however, it sure was money down the drain. I hate to think what has happened to the 1974 Dom.

[qwertyy]

I love champagne (or, more precisely bubbly wine, because when I'm in the mood cava, prosecco, and sparkling will also do the trick), but I don't really know enough about it to know what styles I lean toward. Is there anywhere in the city I can go to sip flights of the stuff? Most restaurants seem to offer a few bubblies by the glass, but they're generally a range of price points--$9, $18, $30--rather than styles.

(My brother is a sommelier, and I'm totally spoiled by the fact that I don't *need* to know about wine as long as I keep eating with him and having him take me to the liquor store to stock up when he's in town. When he's not in town, my stock of great, trustworthy bartenders has further hobbled my need and compulsion to learn wine.)

[Pete]

I love champagne (or, more precisely bubbly wine, because when I'm in the mood cava, prosecco, and sparkling will also do the trick), but I don't really know enough about it to know what styles I lean toward. Is there anywhere in the city I can go to sip flights of the stuff? Most restaurants seem to offer a few bubblies by the glass, but they're generally a range of price points--$9, $18, $30--rather than styles.

(My brother is a sommelier, and I'm totally spoiled by the fact that I don't *need* to know about wine as long as I keep eating with him and having him take me to the liquor store to stock up when he's in town. When he's not in town, my stock of great, trustworthy bartenders has further hobbled my need and compulsion to learn wine.)

I know that Minibar offers at least one flight of sparkling wine. I don't know if it is on the menu in Cafe Atlantico, but perhaps they will let you order it if you ask.