The 2004 Cristal Vinothèque (magnum) takes things to another level. Two thousand-four has long been one of my favorite Champagne vintages for the top wines. It was a controversial year, one marked by record yields. Long aging on the lees fills out the wine while adding layers of dimension that enhance the essential qualities of the year. The 2004 Vinothèque is so timeless, so classy.

Shaped by the hot and dry growing season, the 2022 Coteaux Champenois Mareuil-sur-Aÿ Hommage à Camille was sourced from the lieu-dit Charmont and aged for 16 months in oak (mostly from Tonnellerie La Grange, with some barrels from Tonnellerie Ermitage) ranging from new to two years old. It jumps from the glass with aromas of black plum, cacao beans and clove, framed by maturation in new wood. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, highly concentrated, muscular and multidimensional, with a rich core of fruit, succulent acidity and powdery tannins, concluding with a persistent, perfumed finish. It’s a fleshy, rather dramatic wine that will pair very well with a variety of meat dishes.

The 2015 Cristal Rosé is superb. Rich and dense, the 2015 possesses terrific depth and textural resonance from start to finish. Time in the glass brings out notable creaminess and volume. Kirsch, red plum, blood orange and dried rose petal infuse the 2015 with captivating, palate-staining depth. Cristal Rosé is certainly one of the very finest wines in this uneven vintage. I find it a touch more complete than the Blanc. Of course, the volume for the Rosé is much smaller, but the best sites clearly had the potential to be quite successful. The blend is 56% Pinot Noir from Bonotte Pierre Robert (Aÿ) and 44% Chardonnay from Montmartin (Mesnil-sur-Oger) and Pierre Vaudon (Avize).

Disgorged in March 2024 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, the 2015 Cristal Rosé has turned out very well. As always, it originates from the south-facing yet windswept slopes of Aÿ, where Pinot Noir thrives, and is complemented by Chardonnay from Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, imparting freshness and lightness to the infused Pinot Noir. The wine unfurls from the glass with a bouquet of orange zest, red currant, raspberry and spices interwoven with citrus notes. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and intense, brimming with bright acidity and ample dry extract, culminating in a long, saline-tinged finish. The 2015 rendition is neither as tightly coiled as the 2013 nor as concentrated as the 2012, yet it exhibits the hallmark precision expected from this house—shaped by intelligent viticulture and a cellar master who refuses to rest on his laurels. True to tradition, it is crafted without malolactic fermentation, a choice that aligns with Roederer’s approach to dosage.

The newly-arrived release of the Louis Roederer “Collection 245” is from the base year of 2020, which comprises fifty-five percent of the blend this year. The remaining forty-five percent of the cuvée this year is split between wines from the solera started by Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon in 2012 for this bottling and which constitute thirty-five percent of the blend. The remaining ten percent made up of reserve wines that the maison has in the cellar for their other non-vintage cuvées. The final cépages ended up being forty-one percent chardonnay, thirty-five percent pinot noir and twenty-four percent pinot meunier. The wine was aged sur lattes for just under four years and finished with a dosage of seven grams per liter. Only twenty-two percent of the vins clairs this year went through malo for the wine. The bouquet is pure, precise and still youthful, offering up scents of apple, fresh apricot, lemon, bread dough, chalky minerality, dried flowers and the first hints of smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied, mineral-driven and beautifully zesty, with a superb core of fruit, elegant mousse, a lovely spine of acidity and fine focus and balance on the long, complex and elegant finish. This is a beautiful wine and if any other Grandes Marques is making non-vintage Brut at this quality level these days, I am unaware of it! Fine juice. 2025-2055.