With the bottles for Roederer’s Late Release repeatedly shaken before disgorgement (called 'poignetage'), this series picks up extra savoury, textural depth over the standard release as well as an engaging degree of age-related complexity. The vintage is naturally bright, even austere, but in addition to the extended lees ageing of 13 years, the time on cork (now standing at four years) has also warmed up the flavour profile with crusty sourdough, ginger snap, dried apple and briny hints meeting intense Seville orange citric focus and still-present, gentle raspberry Pinot sweetness. All in all this is a ravishing Cristal, of which magnums are even more exceptional.

Tasted from magnum (with score for magnum only), this extra long-aged edition of Cristal Rosé from the expressive, fruit-forward 2002 vintage is an arresting love letter to Pinot Noir fragrance, still releasing fresh and fragrant cherry and raspberry fruit but melding into roasted peaches, apricot kernel and brown bread richness through an ultra-silky, caressing palate of both supple fruitiness and unexpected delicacy. At this age there's pure pleasure, and little wound-up tension, to be found in this most heady, satisfying Cristal Rosé that, while not quite possessing the daring chalky intensity of vintages that follow, strikes home with pure finesse.

The counterpart to the Late Release of Cristal 2008, this rosé edition was also disgorged in 2022 after 13 years on the lees. Extended ageing, lees shaking ('poignetage') and four years of post-disgorgement ageing have brought deep, spicy, savoury undertones to this most vivid and energetic Cristal Rosé, built heavily around Pinot Noir from the grand cru village of Aÿ. Dried red berries and pink grapefruit meet an engaging, evolving set of ageing characters from iodine to the beginnings of truffle and sous-bois; this is showing its noble Pinot Noir pedigree. Despite this, the sheer purity of 2008 fruit is still the main act here, stony, sapid and persistent. Magnums (also tasted) offer an extra degree of purity and vibrancy.

A gorgeous edition of this wine, the 2020 ‘L’Ermitage’ Brut Rose is a blend of near equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that was given 6.5 G/L dosage and was disgorged in October 2025. Showing off its brilliant salmon hue, this opens with delicate guava and red currant fruits that combine with damp, salty soils and blood orange zest on the nose. The palate is ripe and opulent with loads of salty tension. Gorgeous to enjoy now, this has both the finesse and stuffing to cellar well for another fifteen years. Drink 2026-2041.

A sensational new wine, the 2020’L’Ermitage’ Brut Sparkling spent more than five years on the lees before disgorgement. White peach, ginger and quince all mark the nose. The palate is big and polished with serious tension and weight. A gorgeous wine to enjoy now, watch this evolve over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2026-2041.