I won’t forget my last visit to Louis Roederer. After a long tour we had a fabulous tasting. At the time we finished our tasting with the thrilling 2013 ‘Cristal’ — a wine that truly was one of the finest wines made this vintage. Louis Roederer only produces their ‘Cristal’ Champagne in specific vintages that work for their style and the first ‘Cristal’ Champagne was created back in 1876 to satisfy the demanding tastes of Tsar Alexander II. The emperor asked Louis Roederer to reserve the House’s best cuvée for him every year as he was fond of Louis Roederer’s style. They began producing this wine to be distinguished by being presented in a flat-bottomed, transparent lead-crystal bottle. The ‘Cristal’ brand was named after the lead-crystal bottle, which is particularly transparent and luminous.
Louis Roederer ‘Cristal’ Champagne blending is usually around 40% Chardonnay and 60% Pinot Noir, although that varies on the vintage. Cristal is aged for 6 years in Louis Roederer’s cellars and then left for a further 8 months after disgorgement. The ‘Cristal’ Rose Champagne is always composed of estate fruit and the wine is primarily fermented and aged in steel, but roughly 15-20% of the blend is aged in oak. Dosage in this wine has slowly gone down. The ‘Cristal’ Rose Champagne is a must try for any lovers of top Rose Champagne. It is pricey but worth the splurge.
It is hard to believe that I last tasted their 2016 ‘Cristal’ release in January 2025, so this has been more than a year since their current release, the absolutely thrilling 2018. While the 2016 is nothing short of stunning, the 2018 is somehow even better. It is definitely going to be one of the finest Champagnes of the vintage.
2018 as a vintage was warm, as many recent Champagne vintages have plenty of warmth. While it had plenty of heat, wines from this vintage also show excellent finesse. This is not a vintage resembling 2009. The wet winter really helped with the warmth of the summer.
The 2018 ‘Cristal’ (OB, 98) needs a lot of air. I recommend doing a short decant in a thin decanter or letting the wine sit for 20 minutes in a large stem before consuming. It is a round and generous edition of Cristal, somewhat resembling the 2015 in terms of fleshy character. Learn more about this great Champagne at http://www.louis-roederer.com/en/wine/cristal
2018 Louis Roederer ‘Cristal’ Champagne- An otherworldly wine, the 2018 Louis Roederer ‘Cristal’ Champagne is unbelievably good in its heady youth. It is nearly the same combination of Pinot Noir (57%) and Chardonnay (43%) as the 2016 edition. This vintage was also given 7G/L dosage as was the ’16 and it expanded to 57 parcels. It comes off fat and round on the mouth. Candied ginger, kumquat zest, cardamom dusted sourdough bread and shades of white peach all seamlessly combine on the palate, with plenty of salty/stony minerals. The underlying diatom character here is outstanding. While full-bodied and voluptuous, the underlying tension is thrilling. This is a lush and generous Champagne that will surely live on for two decades to come. Drink 2026-2046- 98