99

Antonio Galloni

Vinous

The 2013 Cristal (magnum) is outrageously beautiful. A Champagne of stature and pure breeding, the 2013 is so impressive from the big bottle. There is a timelessness to Cristal in magnum that is so special in how the wine ages at the most gradual pace. The purity of the fruit is striking, as is the added touch of mid-palate richness from extended time on the lees in magnum. Sweet floral and chalk notes run through a core of layered citrus and orchard fruits, all framed by the silkiest of contours. Disgorged 2024. 04/2025

97

Richard Juhlin

Richard Juhlin

No malolactic fermentation and a perfect dosage of 8 grams of sugar. This time, 32% of the wine is vinified in oak barrels. Honey, roasted hazelnuts, citrus, flowers vanilla. Brioche, white chocolate, chalk, Madagascar vanilla are just some of the wonderful aromas that pass by. Full force yet velvety smooth. A little young, but lovely already.02/2024

98

Kristaps Karklins

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

One of the greatest wines of Louis Roederer’s contemporary chapter, the 2013 Cristal continues to impress. Tasted from magnum, which was disgorged in September 2024 with a dosage of 7.5 grams per liter, it wafts from the glass with a bouquet of white flowers, lemon zest and toasted hazelnut, mingling with iodine and smoke. Qualitatively speaking, it's “a copy of 2012 with a month longer growing cycle,” summarizes Lecaillon, and it's indeed true that these two wines represent the high points of the of the decade so far—as only time will tell what Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon will achieve with 2019. Expecting a crystalline, electric wine, given the cool, late-ripening season, the 2013 indeed delivers a Champagne that is bright, with incredible clarity and concentration, even if it’s undeniably a leaner version than its immediate predecessor. Since its release, I've enjoyed the 2013 Cristal several times from my own cellar, but having the opportunity to appreciate it from a magnum delivered an even more textural and seamless experience, emphasizing its chalky personality and laser precision. 04/2025