2016 Roederer Cristal & Rose
Since visiting the Louis Roederer Champagne House last year, I’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of both the 2016 Cristal and the 2016 Brut Rosé. That visit transformed my perspective on this iconic estate. Of course, I had always recognized Roederer as a benchmark name—one of Champagne’s grande marques, but I hadn’t fully appreciated their truly artisanal approach.
Despite their size—180 hectares of estate-owned vineyards—Roederer farms and operates more like a small grower-producer, many of whom work with just a few hectares and produce mere thousands of bottles. This is not big agro-business.
Like the best grower-producers, Roederer exhibits an extraordinary attention to detail and a deep commitment to sustainable viticulture. In the early 2000s, they began a bold and forward-thinking transition to organic and biodynamic farming, a process that required serious sacrifices in yield and short-term gain. We're only now starting to see these decisions pay off and in a big way - the wines have never been better!
The 2016 growing season in Champagne was marked by sharp contrasts. A cool, wet spring delayed flowering and caused concern, but it was followed by a warm, dry summer and a late-August heatwave. Fortunately, sunny weather persisted into the harvest period, allowing the grapes to ripen fully and evenly.
The Pinot Noirs in particular thrived under these conditions, delivering wines with expressive fruit, round textures, and richness. The Chardonnays are equally impressive—taut, mineral, and saline, offering a vivid counterpoint to the opulence of the Pinot.
Crafted predominantly from Pinot Noir grown on the south-facing slopes of Cumières—Roederer's prized site for rosé—the 2016 Brut Rosé is a vivid expression of the vintage’s warmth and precision.
This wine is made using the infusion technique , whereby a portion of ripe Pinot Noir grapes is cold-macerated with Chardonnay juice, enhancing aromatic expression and integrating the color and structure seamlessly.
The result is a beautifully textured rosé with notes of wild strawberries, blood orange, rose petals , and a touch of spice. The palate is creamy yet taut, with a chalky finish that speaks to its limestone terroir and extended aging. While delicious now, it will continue to gain complexity over the next 5–8 years.
The 2016 Cristal is a stunning, crystalline expression of both the estate’s vision and the vintage’s dual personality: ripe fruit and mineral tension. The blend is 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay , slightly higher in Chardonnay than typical, which adds brightness and finesse. It is already being compared to legends like 2002, 2008, and 2012. But it is touch more generous and soft, layered over a precise and crystalline core, which may one day set it apart. Take advantage today of todays incredible pre arrival price
The 2016 Cristal is a taut, incisive rendition of this benchmark bottling, unwinding in the glass with youthfully reserved aromas of citrus oil, white flowers, wet stones and subtle hints of sweet, buttery pastry. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and racy, it's almost as electric as the brilliant 2013, with serious concentration, a pure core of fruit, chalky structuring dry extract and a long, intensely mineral finish. Given its tightly wound profile, my advice is to forget it in the cellar for a few years and work on the more open, outgoing 2014 in the meantime.
- Wine Advocate, 97
The 2016 Cristal is bright, aromatic and nicely lifted. Citrus peel white flowers, mint and a touch of chamomile all grace this understated, wonderfully refined edition of Cristal. Light on its feet and super-refined, the 2016 is exquisite in its understated beauty. I can't wait to see how the 2016 ages and won't be surprised it gains a bit of weight in bottle, as Cristal so often does. The blend is 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay, so a touch more Chardonnay than the norm. Of the 45 parcels that make up the Cristal domaine, just 32 were used for the blend.
- Vinous/Galloni, 96
