The 2013 Cristal (magnum) is outrageously beautiful. A Champagne of stature and pure breeding, the 2013 is so impressive from the big bottle. There is a timelessness to Cristal in magnum that is so special in how the wine ages at the most gradual pace. The purity of the fruit is striking, as is the added touch of mid-palate richness from extended time on the lees in magnum. Sweet floral and chalk notes run through a core of layered citrus and orchard fruits, all framed by the silkiest of contours. Disgorged 2024.

Roederer’s 2018 Brut Nature Blanc is stellar. That is evident from the very first taste. There is something different about the 2018, a level of dimension and complexity that supersedes anything Roederer has achieved with this cuvée in previous releasees. Much of that comes down to changes in élevage. Early vintages were made using a similar approach as with the other Roederer Champagnes. Wines were taken off the lees in December and then bottled around March/April. That resulted in Brut Natures that were a bit austere in feel. For the 2018, Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon opted to extend time on lees until spring, while also doing some stirring during that time to build texture, and then bottling in June, almost as if he was making a still wine. Bottling was done with 5/5.5 atmospheres of pressure, a bit less than for most Champagnes, which softens the mousse. But these are technical details. Where the 2018 truly shines in tasting. White flowers, lemon peel, chalk, slate and mint all race across the palate. This is Brut Nature, so bottled with no dosage, but that is not as evident here as it has been in previous editions, where the wine has at times felt a bit stark, no pun intended. The 2018 is a field blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier, picked the same day and co-fermented. This is the first vintage that includes a tiny amount of Pinot Blanc (1%), which presages future vintages where the field blend will include Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Pinot Gris as well. The 2018 is the best Brut Nature yet. I loved it.

The NV Brut Collection 246 is positively stellar. It’s a terrific example of where Roederer is going with this cuvée stylistically. Brisk saline notes cut through a core of orchard fruit, mint, white pepper and slate. There are no hard angles or awkward contours. The 246 is based on 2021, an extremely tricky vintage for Champagne. Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon bumped up the percentage of Chardonnay considerably and focused on Pinots from the Montagne de Reims. About 30% of the lots underwent malolactic fermentation to soften the edges. Twenty-four percent of the wines were fermented in oak, the rest in tank. The 246 is a blend of 55% base 2021 vintage wines described above, plus 30% perpetual reserve going back to 2012 (mostly from Cumières, Vertus and Verzy) in tank and 10% young-vine juice from Cristal plots aged in cask. The final blend is 54% Chardonnay (as opposed to the more typical 44%), 35% Pinot Noir and 11% Meunier. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. More importantly, the 246 is impeccably done and absolutely delicious.

The 2018 Brut Nature Rosé offers a beguiling combination of strong Pinot Noir inflections and cool, mineral-driven Cumières character. Cranberry, white flowers, chalk, game and dried herbs are all finely sculpted. Here, too, the Rosé is not quite as austere as the first releases in the series because of longer aging prior to bottling and lees-stirring during élevage. Even so, I very much admire the wine’s tension and drive. The Rosé is a blend of 20% Pinot Noir that is picked 5 days ahead of the main harvest and cold-soaked, plus 80% of the Blanc field blend, done in the same infusion style Roederer uses for Cristal Rosé. That approach exalts the flavor profile and structure of Pinot Noir, qualities that explode on the substantial finish.

Livio Felluga is a commanding presence in the U.S. market, showing us how delicious wines from Friuli can be. The winery’s entry level Pinot Grigio has a subtle nose with delicate notes of peaches, white flowers, and herbs. It offers a rich, round mouthfeel with soft notes of baked apples and apricots, lifted by fresh acidity.