The 2018 Cristal is a blend of 57% Pinot Noir and 43% Chardonnay with 7 grams per liter of dosage. No malolactic was performed and 28% of the base wines were vinified in French oak. Still very youthful, it emerges slowly from the glass with delicate scents of crunchy yellow apples and juicy pears, giving way to an undercurrent of honeysuckle, chalk dust, and white pepper with a hint of allspice. The palate has impressive orchard fruit richness accented by subtle nuances of floral notes and baking spices, and offset by a crisp backbone and very fine, persistent bubbles, finishing long and chalky. Although 2018 was a riper vintage, Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon has been very clever with harvest dates and winemaking, maintaining freshness and vivacity while capturing the opulence of the year. The result is magnificent.

Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2022 Coteaux Champenois Hommage à Camille Charmont (Rouge) rolls out with expressive notes of black cherries, black raspberries, and violets, giving way to hints of cracked black pepper, wild sage, and wood smoke. The light-bodied palate is tightly wound and energetic with fine-grained tannins and a crisp backbone, finishing long and savory with a compelling touch of seaweed.

The 2015 Cristal Rosé is a blend of 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay with 7 grams per liter of dosage. No malolactic fermentation was performed. It offers the palest salmon-pink color. It reveals a quiet intensity of red currants, cranberries, and fresh apple aromas, opening out to reveal an undercurrent of mint tea, wet pebbles, and cinnamon stick, plus a touch of baker's yeast. The palate is coated with spicy red fruit flavors, framed by a crisp backbone, silky texture, and very fine bubbles, finishing very long and fragrant. Delicious.

The 2018 Cristal is a blend of 57% Pinot Noir and 43% Chardonnay with 7 grams per liter of dosage. No malolactic was performed and 28% of the base wines were vinified in French oak. Still very youthful, it emerges slowly from the glass with delicate scents of crunchy yellow apples and juicy pears, giving way to an undercurrent of honeysuckle, chalk dust, and white pepper with a hint of allspice. The palate has impressive orchard fruit richness accented by subtle nuances of floral notes and baking spices, and offset by a crisp backbone and very fine, persistent bubbles, finishing long and chalky. Although 2018 was a riper vintage, Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon has been very clever with harvest dates and winemaking, maintaining freshness and vivacity while capturing the opulence of the year. The result is magnificent.

The 2018 Cristal opens a new chapter for Roederer. The Cristal estate is composed of 45 parcels. In better vintages, most of the 45 parcels are used for the blend. The 2018 vintage brought with it elevated ripeness and generally low acids. Longtime Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon was forced to cast his gaze wider, to look for parcels that offered a touch of freshness. Lécaillon expanded his palette to 57 parcels. The result is a Cristal unlike any other I have tasted. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, spice, chalk and herbs.