Created in 1876 by the special request of Tsar Alexander II, this iconic champagne hails from seven Grand Cru vineyards spanning the Montagne de Reims, the Marne Valley, and the Côte des Blancs, and a total of 45 different plots to create one of the densest and most complex Champagnes available today. Grown in chalky, limestone soils, the fruit from these select vineyards enjoyed a freshness that was otherwise hard to come by in Champagne’s warm 2015 vintage. A careful fermentation of all of the separate lots creates the unique palette of the potential base wines, followed by rigorous blending trials with Roederer’s panel of master tasters over several months before the selection of the final base is agreed upon and transferred to bottle. From there, aging on the lees for a minimum of six years, followed by disgorgement and several rounds of dosage trials, to settle on this Brut-level dosage of 7 grams per liter. After another 8 months minimum of aging on the cork, this icon of Champagne is at long last released to hungry connoisseurs, collectors, and the like around the world.

All of that, and it’s no wonder one of Champagne’s oldest houses has an unrivaled history of global greatness that could be the envy of any brand around the world today, wine or not. People who have never had a sip of Champagne know the name Cristal, and those who drink Champagne religiously aspire to drink Cristal when and however possible. The winemaking team calls this new release “a perfect combination of softness and concentration, matched by a masterful maturity...” and I’m heavily inclined to agree. This 60/40 blend of pinot noir and chardonnay is crisp, balanced, and intensely vibrant – a veritable powerhouse of vintage Champagne that will drink pristinely for a decade at least.

Aromatically, the wine is as expressive as any new Cristal I’ve ever experienced. Often, this layered and dense wine suffers from a lack of aromatic complexity in its youth – as the wine is built to last and develop over the decades. But that lack is simply not the case here – as inviting and approachable as any young Cristal I’ve ever tasted! Inviting sensations of lemon blossoms, spearmint, and lime zest, with a wet river rock and oyster shell crunch minerality. The flavors here are bright, chalky, fresh as well, with lemon meringue, and Rainier cherries, golden apples, and toasted almond slivers. The 25% oak aging for the base gives this beautiful note of croissant dough, but the blocking of malolactic fermentation keeps everything bright, zippy, and incredibly elegant. The flavors come alive over a few minutes in the glass and hint at the complexity still to come. Drink this on the younger side, but perhaps not straight away – I’d shoot for late 2024 through to 2027 if the universe (and one’s willpower) allows!