2014 Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé, Champagne

Roederer's 2014 Cristal Rosé has turned out beautifully, unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet cherries, almonds, citrus fruit and red berries mingled with notions of white flowers and wet chalk. Full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a layered core of fruit and a pillowy mousse, it's deep, racy and electric, concluding with a long, mineral finish. Comparatively open out of the gates, it's no slight to the 2014's seriousness to say that it will drink well while its 2013 counterpart sleeps in the cellar. Deriving from just a handful of the over 39 blocks that inform the regular Cristal 2014, I suspect that its origins have even more to do with the extra dimension it possesses above and beyond its white counterpart than the subtle infusion of Pinot Noir phenolics that give it its delicate pink hue.

97 points William Kelley robertparker.com Apr 2021

The 2014 Cristal Rosé is fascinating to taste next to the 2015 and a few older vintages, as it is decidedly linear and taut, signatures that are typical of the year. Cranberry, chalk, mint, white pepper and blood orange are all finely sculpted. This is an especially fine showing. I imagine the 2014 will flesh out beautifully with time in bottle. It's not an immediate Cristal Rosé, but more of a long distance runner. Readers should be in no rush here. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged: February 2024

98 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com Mar 2021 Drink 2028-2053 

Extremely subtle and delicate, this has an enveloping nose of tiny red berries and dried flowers. This sparkling rosé masterpiece is just beginning to really open up. Fabulous velvety texture on the mouth-filling palate, the very fine mousse already spot on. Tons of structure behind all this, so this should age really well. From organically grown grapes. Tasted at the Cristal vertical tasting at the champagne house on July 6th, 2023. Drink from release.

98 points jamessuckling.com

Cristal Rosé is one of those Champagnes that feels almost mythical, a wine where precision farming, patient craftsmanship and exceptional vineyard pedigree come together in breathtaking harmony. Louis Roederer’s estate holdings across Grand Cru villages give cellar master Jean Baptiste Lécaillon an extraordinary palette to work with, and the 2014 vintage provided fruit of clarity, tension and aromatic lift. A cooler growing season shaped wines with vibrant structure and crystalline purity, perfectly suited to the Cristal philosophy of elegance over excess. Pinot Noir from the chalk and clay slopes of Aÿ is gently infused with Chardonnay from sites such as Avize and Mesnil sur Oger, creating both the wine’s luminous colour and its intricate layers of flavour.

Soft rose gold hues glow in the glass, the bead impossibly fine and persistent. Aromas build slowly with wild raspberry, red apple skin and blood orange intertwined with rose petal, almond pastry and a whisper of smoky mineral nuance. There is a sense of quiet energy here that feels both graceful and powerful. The palate is beautifully sculpted, combining satin like texture with laser bright acidity. Red berry fruit and citrus glide seamlessly into chalky precision and subtle spice, finishing long, dry and extraordinarily refined.

This is the sort of bottle that deserves a moment all to itself. Perhaps a cool evening, the table set simply, good company close by and a sense that something special is about to unfold. It shines with delicate dishes such as langoustine, seared tuna, duck breast with raspberry jus or aged Comté shaved thin. Already mesmerising, the 2014 Cristal Rosé will continue to evolve with poise for two decades or more, gaining layers of savoury complexity, dried flower perfume and honeyed depth. A truly iconic vintage rosé Champagne that captures both the soul of Roederer and the timeless allure of Cristal.