Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2016 – A vintage of perfect harmony, Cristal 2016 showcases remarkable purity, finesse, and depth. Crafted from 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay, it reveals vibrant aromas of peach, pear, lemon curd, chalk, and jasmine, unfolding into layers of stone fruit, citrus, brioche, and a saline minerality. With its seamless texture, ultra-fine mousse, and long, creamy yet precise finish, this organically farmed cuvée reflects both elegance and power. A truly exceptional Cristal, built for both immediate pleasure and decades of graceful aging.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 98
Published: Nov 26, 2024

This has wonderfully pure fruit aromas, such as peaches, Asian pears and golden apples, alongside lemon curd, gingerbread, chalk and jasmine. Rock salt and oyster shells follow on the palate, which is so seamless that you scarcely notice the super-fine bubbles. It’s concentrated yet gentle at the same time, with impressive resolution and integration of all components. Salty and creamy at the very-long finish. Fantastic! 58% pinot noir and 42% chardonnay. Drink or hold.

Wine Enthusiast | WE 98
Published: Jan 12, 2024

This iconic Champagne, first made in the 19th century for the Tsar of Russia, shows its typical stunning balance and poise between richness and concentration. It has a pure white fruit and honeysuckle aroma and tight, tangy fresh fruit flavors. Just ready to drink, the wine will age well, for at least 20 years. Organic

Decanter | D 97
Published: Oct 1, 2024
Drink: 2029-2050

Cristal 2016 represents a return to purity and classicism for this cuvée, even seen through the lens of 2016's ripe, generous opening. It is characteristically discreet in youth, cloaking its ripeness in long, chalky, stony energy. Gentle mandarin, pale apricot and raspberry fruit sit under slowly maturing notions of floral honey and tight, smoky charm. There's an airy, flowing delicacy and persistence which lifts this cuvée above some other expressions of this year. It's a hugely promising Cristal, likely to stand as tall as the sought-after 2012 and 2013 releases.
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 12.50%
Body: Medium
Grapes: 42% Chardonnay 58% Pinot Noir / Pinot Nero

The Wine Advocate | RP 96+
Published: Apr 10, 2025
Drink: 2027-2056

The finest rendition since 2013, the 2016 Cristal has turned out beautifully. A vintage that Lecaillon describes as “difficult in the vineyards but beautiful in the cellar,” it had suffered slightly in reputation due to the gloomy mood during the challenging growing season, but the results are indeed impressive. The fifth edition produced entirely from organically farmed and certified fruit, and heavily based on Pinot Noir, the 2016 represents the contemporary quality of Cristal, combining the concentration of 2002 with the precision and cut of 2013. Disgorged in July 2024 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, it opens in the glass to reveal a bouquet of lemon zest, white flowers and peeled almond, framed by youthful reduction. On the palate, it is bright and electric, with a pure core of fruit, pinpoint mousse and a textural attack, concluding with a long, saline finish. Drink it alongside the 2015, and it will illuminate its clarity and integration.

Jancisrobinson.com | JR 19
Published: Jul 21, 2025
Drink: 2027-2042

58% Pinot Noir, 42% Chardonnay from grand cru villages. The dominant ingredient is Pinot Noir from a north-facing vineyard in Verzenay. Cristal is usually made up of 45 of 70 plots that are at least 20 years old, all fermented as single-vineyard wines and during the winter they select the best. Only 32 of these 45 plots made it into this selection because, according to chef de cave Lécaillon, 2016 was tricky because of the wet spring (as were the early 2012 and late 2013 vintages). There was lots of mildew in their organic vineyards although a beautiful August mitigated the situation. Low crop picked throughout the second half of September. Concentrated fruit. He believes that the vines were more settled into an organic protocol by 2016. 31% oaked wine. No malo, no chaptalisation. Dosage 7 g/l. There will be no Cristal 2017. The 2018 will be released in 2026.
Very, very concentrated and dense with some salinity and really juicy. 'We call it the Chevalier-Montrachet of Champagne because it's discreet rather than showy', according to Lécaillon. Markedly savoury, and indeed not entirely unlike modern, slightly austere white burgundy. Definite chewiness on the end and a bottle that should ideally be kept awhile. But, presumably thanks to warmer summers and organically grown vines, it's more open than Cristal used to be on release. 

Louis-roederer.com

CRYSTAL 2016
A vintage of perfect harmony, for a Cristal of balance and substance.

The permanence of the place
On this vineyard entirely dedicated to the Cristal cuvée, permanence is in change and each year, depending on the climate and the growing cycle, only the finest plots are selected to capture only the most authentic beating heart of Cristal.

These exceptional plots, patiently built up since 1841 by generations of Maison Louis Roederer, are worked on a tailor-made basis, in a winegrowing approach and respect for the living, implementing virtuous practices on a daily basis, such as mass selection, gentle pruning or even long fallow periods. Methods inspired by the permaculture model where the ecosystem adjusts its balance and connects Man to Nature.

Cristal is a terroir and artisan champagne, produced exclusively from the eponymous estate cultivated using organic farming methods.