Ratings & Tasting Notes:

99 points — James Suckling, July 2023
A fabulous nose with great blood orange intensity neatly framed by brioche. On the extravagant, concentrated palate this has whiplash vibrancy yet somehow marries it to a taut elegance. An extremely long finish with “dangerous freshness for this age.” Literally takes your breath away.

97 points — John Gilman, April 2018
Gilman called the 2005 “a legend in the making,” though still young and closed at the time of tasting, needing extended bottle age for its many facets to blossom. He notes the blend matches the 2006 at 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, but that Lécaillon selected entirely different vins clairs — 2005 being strongest for Chardonnay, careful Pinot selection was paramount, made easier by the estate’s superb holdings in Verzenay and Verzy. A deep, primary and very promising bouquet of apple, pear, a gorgeously complex base of chalky soil tones, incipient nuttiness, citrus peel, smoke, a touch of lavender and a topnote of peach blossom. Pure, full-bodied and absolutely rock solid at the core, with great focus and finesse, very refined mousse, a crisp girdle of acidity and laser-like focus on the poised, refined finish.

97 points — Wine Enthusiast, December 2012
The iconic Roederer Champagne, bringing a perfect balance of richness and age-worthiness. Full of apple flavour, with a mousse so fine as to be almost imperceptible. As so often with a beautifully blended wine, a few minutes’ breathing brings out extra complexity. Cellar Selection.

95 points — Wine & Spirits, December 2012
An open, airy, whip-smart delivery of Cristal’s spark, and a wine of formidable delicacy. The undertow is there, drawing down a wave of spicy oak notes and heady crème caramel to reveal glints of limestone, the bright shimmer of acidity sustained by cool rootedness in the soil. The reviewer noted that across forty-five words of tasting notes there was not a single mention of fruit — instead brightness, subtlety, lusty juiciness, balance and mouthwatering complexity.

94 points — International Wine Cellar

94 points — Wine Spectator

93 points — Wine Advocate

Cult Wines International Notes:

Cristal was created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II, who asked Louis Roederer to set aside the house’s finest cuvée for his court each year. The flat-bottomed bottle of clear lead crystal was made to his specification, so nothing could be hidden beneath it. The house remains family-owned, unusual in Champagne, and Cristal is drawn entirely from fifty hectares of estate vineyards: the oldest vines on the chalkiest parcels, roughly a third from the Côte des Blancs, a third from the north-facing slopes of the Montagne de Reims and a third from Aÿ. Those plots are farmed differently from the rest of the estate, biodynamically and often by horse, worked for lower yields. The wine spends around six years in the Reims cellars plus eight months in bottle after disgorgement.

2005 was a demanding year in Champagne, with rot pressure that hit Pinot Noir hardest, so Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon leaned on Chardonnay and selected his Pinot vins clairs with unusual care from the estate’s holdings in Verzy, Verzenay and Aÿ. The blend came in at 55 percent Pinot Noir and 45 percent Chardonnay. The result stands apart from other Cristal vintages for its aromatic openness and pronounced Chardonnay character. Expect apple, pear and blood orange framed by brioche, with chalky soil tones, citrus peel, smoke, incipient nuttiness, a touch of lavender and peach blossom. Pure and full-bodied, rock solid at the core, with very refined mousse, a crisp girdle of acidity and a long, laser-focused finish.

Bottle Size:

750 mL

Storage History:

Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.

Condition:

Please note: The bottle shown is the exact bottle being sold.

Outstanding condition.

Backlit inspection shows a bright, clear pale-gold wine with a fill level well up into the neck, and no seepage