98/100
Kristaps Karklins
“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.”
98/100
Essi Avellan MW
“The heart of Cristal Rosé is in lush Aÿ Pinot Noir. The maceration of these grapes sees the addition of juice from the Cristal Rosé estate plots in Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Biodynamically farmed, but not yet certified at the time of harvest. The nose is as pretty and elegant as it gets, with a fair amount of restraint for Cristal. White peach, mandarin and vanilla meet some cool herbaceous notes, like a minty breeze, enhancing the sensation of coolness. The palate comes across deliciously fleshy and caressing, with the subtlest creamy mousse carrying the wine to infinity. Bright, vibrant and racy, this has untamed qualities of the utmost charm. As driven, polished and effortlessly delicious as only Cristal Rosé can be. Dosage 7g/l”
98/100
William Kelley
“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.”
97+/100
Antonio Galloni
“The 2013 Cristal is a wine of extraordinary precision and tension. Searing acids drive a bold, racy Champagne that won’t be ready to offer its best drinking anytime soon. In recent vintages, Cristal has been quite open on release. That is far from the case with the 2013. Readers should plan on being quite patient. The blend is 60% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ, Verzy, Verzenay, Beaumont-sur-Vesle) and 40% Chardonnay (Mesnil, Avize, Cramant). Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon 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. Lecaillon describes the summer as similar to 2012, but adds the vines were a month behind in their development. In tasting, the 2013 reminds me of the 1996 in its austerity, even more so than the epic 2008.”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“Very late growing cycle with flowering delayed until the beginning of July but this was followed by a warm, dry summer – although the October harvest was relatively cool. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay from 45 'exceptional lieux-dits', a third in each of Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims. 32% of the wine was aged in oak. None went through malo. Dosage 8 g/l.
Pale gold. Tiny bead. Intense nose of fresh almonds, lemon zest and blossom. Tight and tense with masses of acidity and freshness but not painfully so. Neat and a little introvert. This is clearly made up of many layers and is extremely persistent. A fine mix of intellectual and pleasurable. Pretty gorgeous.”
96 → 99/100
Essi Avellan MW
“The 2013 vintage was sculpted by its late season with grapes ending up harvested in October. But ripe they became with heaps of delicious cool and crunchy fruit. Cristal Blanc is so racy and pure with huge, salty mineral tanginess at the fore. But look beyond and get bedazzled by its fruity power. Lemon, lime, white currant and Granny Smith apple with chalky tones and gunpowder whiffs arising over time. Focused and saline on the mouthwateringly zingy palate.”
99/100
Anne Krebiehl MW
“An immediate sense of creaminess comes with an unusually intense perfume of fruit. Despite all this time on lees, a very pure sense of ripe, juicy Mirabelle plum is evident. This segues effortlessly into a creamy chalkiness. The palate strikes with immediate presence and inherent balance. Concentration and freshness complete each other, are heightened by the finest, smoothest foam. There is luminosity, body, and a salty depth that draws you in. The sense of sleekness and elegance is extraordinary. While it will be hard to resist this deliciousness now, graceful ageing is guaranteed.”
19/20
Nick Baker TFB Founder
“Cristal 2013 is still the youngster, tightly wound with a pure fruit profile, dominant citrus and rich stone fruit with a twist of spice. The texture is mouth filling it wraps around the palate and then the bright and crisp minerality finish the champagne delicate and crisp. It is very young and very little of the dried fruit and bottle aged character are yet showing. This we imagine is likely to start showing itself in 3 to 5 years. Drink 2025 to 2035. ”
