99

Antonio Galloni

Vinous

Interestingly, the 2013 Cristal Rosé is more austere than the Blanc. It has plenty of vibrant energy and steeliness but also a touch less generosity today. I suspect the 2013 is going through a period of closure, which I take as a positive sign for its long-term prospects and aging potential—likely to be measured in decades rather than years. 11/2024

99

Richard Juhlin

Richard Juhlin

‘Cristal Rosé 2013, what a dreamlike creation. If you have never tasted the world’s best rosé wine before, this is a perfect vintage to start with. I find it hard to imagine a more classic example of Cristal Rosé. Certainly, the wine will mature and become considerably deeper than it is today. At the same time, it is not possible to squeeze more elegance out of grapes than Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon has done here. All the components seem to wrap around each other and merge into a symbiosis of beauty. The ultra-fine mousse joins the parts through its pleasant tactile movement and allows the layers of flavors to interact and integrate. Imagine if humans were as good at it. Lovely art and life affirmation in a glass.’ 04/2024

99

William Kelley

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

A candidate for wine-of-the-vintage honors in Champagne, Roederer's 2013 Cristal Rosé is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, red berries, stone fruit, freshly baked bread and tangerine oil. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, the vintage's bright girdling acids are amply cloaked in exuberant, expressive and notably concentrated fruit; so while this Cristal is as tensile and age-worthy as one would expect, it's also impressively fleshy and generous given the year. Concluding with an intensely sapid finish, the 2013 isn't as overtly structured as the muscular, tightly wound 2012: rather, it's the 2013's alliance of cut and flesh, precision and charm that's so compelling this year. This is another banner vintage for what I consider the reigning champion of the region's tête de cuvée bottlings, and it will be worth an effort to acquire. 04/2021

100

Kristaps Karklins

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

The 2013 Cristal Rosé from Louis Roederer is one of the most complete wines to be found in Champagne in this vintage, so utterly pure and precise that I would run the risk of exhausting superlatives trying to express its clarity. Displaying a pale hue, it soars from the glass with a bouquet of kaleidoscopic complexity, featuring notes of tangerine zest, raspberry and rose petals mingling with peeled almonds and spices. Enjoyed from magnum, disgorged in February 2024, the wine’s persistent palate offers a bright, vibrant core of fruit, refined mousse and fine-boned structure, with racy and fresh acidity and a long, chalky finish. “With 2013, I was confident from day one, which was not the case with 2008,” recalls Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, and the result in the glass precludes any argument about it—the 2013 Cristal Rosé is a wine that’s structurally complete, deep and multifaceted, even more spectacular than the white 2013 Cristal. When I asked William Kelley why he gave 99 points to 2013 if he rated the 2008 Cristal Rosé with 100, he for a moment insisted to me that it was the other way around. 04/2025

98

Jeb Dunnuck

Jeb Dunnuck

If you're a Champagne lover and this doesn't do it for you, I don't know what will. A magical Champagne that's just about as good as it gets, the 2013 Cristal Rosé reveal a lighter salmon hue to go with a rich yet also subtle nose of orange blossom, white flowers, toasted brioche, and chalky minerality. It takes some coaxing but is incredibly complex aromatically and offers more spice, dried strawberry, and library book-like nuances as it sets in the glass. Richly textured on the palate, it's medium to full-bodied and has surprising opulence as well as a great mid-palate, all of which are balanced by a vibrant spine of acidity. It starts out seemingly soft and easygoing yet changes with air, and it possesses an incredible mix of suppleness, texture, and precision that is something to behold. It can be drunk today or cellared for 20 or 30 years, possibly even longer. 04/2021