Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 2013 1.5Ltr

I've revisited Roederer's 2013 Cristal four times since I reviewed it in April of this year—including several times from my own cellar—and I had to admit that even my lavish praise didn't do it full justice. Combining the cool-vintage cut of 2008 with the more completely mature fruit of 2012, the 2013 Cristal might well be said to represent the perfect combination of the two from a purist's perspective. The wine unwinds in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, almond paste and citrus oil, followed by a medium to full-bodied, seamless and multidimensional palate that's intense but weightless, with racy acids, a pinpoint mousse and a long, penetrating finish. Drink the 2008 Cristal on its own, and you're unlikely—to put it mildly—to have any complaints; but compare it directly with the 2013 and you'll see Roederer's rapid progress in the vineyards writ large.

#88 in Top 100 Wines of France, 2025. Magnums of Cristal are always released a couple of years after the original release of a vintage. And the 2013 is gorgeous. It’s linear and extremely long, showing real energy and vibe with crushed chalk and stone. Medium-bodied, tight and still structured, with phenolic tension and intensity. Fresh finish. Demonstrates the reserve power of Crystal. Drink or hold.

The 2013 Cristal is a stunner. It takes themes first seen in the 2008 and amplifies them to grand effect. Lemon confit, marzipan, tangerine oil, spice and crushed rocks all race across the palate. The 2013 is a Champagne of energy and tension, but it also avoids any hint of austerity. It shares a real feeling of saline drive with the 2008, but also offers a bit more mid-palate richness. The blend is 60% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ, Verzy, Verzenay, Beaumont-sur-Vesle) and 40% Chardonnay (Mesnil, Avize, Cramant). Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon was especially selective and used only 30 out of the potential 45 plots that are typically available for Cristal. About 32% of the lots were done in oak, the rest in steel, with the malolactic fermentation blocked across the board. It was an October harvest, the sort of harvest that has become increasingly rare in Champagne. Lécaillon describes the summer as similar to 2012 in terms of summer heat but adds the vines were a month behind in their development from the beginning of the season. The 2013 has always been a Cristal that marries elements of warm and cool seasons. That duality is what makes it so intriguing. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged: 2021.

Exotic hints of tangerine and candied ginger are an enticing entrance for this vivid Champagne, accenting a finely meshed range of ripe green apple and cassis fruit, with rich notes of chopped almond, brioche and lemon curd. An underscoring streak of salinity gains momentum through the mouthwatering finish, echoing as it rides the plushly creamy mousse. This is decadence in a sleek and graceful package. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2033. 9,181 cases imported.

I think the 2013 Champagne Cristal checks in behind the 2008, but it's nevertheless a beautiful wine. Lots of ripe orchard fruits, toasted bread, brioche, and chalky mineral notes define the nose, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a layered, nicely concentrated, tight, inward style, beautiful precision and purity, and a great finish. It needs a good 5-7 years of bottle age to hit its stride and will keep for two decades or more.

A deep and vinous wine, bright and noble, a true Cristal. It is balanced by a chalky freshness that cuts through and stretches the wine giving it with a slender fuselage and great finesse. Rich and complex aromas with notes of zesty and candied fruit (lemon) mingled with pollen (white flowers), roasted hazelnut and Madagascar vanilla. After aeration, the bouquet develops rich notes of fresh pastries and smoky notes from bottle ageing.