2013 Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé, Champagne

A candidate for wine-of-the-vintage honors in Champagne, Roederer's 2013 Cristal Rosé is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, red berries, stone fruit, freshly baked bread and tangerine oil. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, the vintage's bright girdling acids are amply cloaked in exuberant, expressive and notably concentrated fruit; so while this Cristal is as tensile and age-worthy as one would expect, it's also impressively fleshy and generous given the year. Concluding with an intensely sapid finish, the 2013 isn't as overtly structured as the muscular, tightly wound 2012: rather, it's the 2013's alliance of cut and flesh, precision and charm that's so compelling this year. This is another banner vintage for what I consider the reigning champion of the region's tête de cuvée bottlings, and it will be worth an effort to acquire. Drink 2021-2061

99 points William Kelley robertparker.com Apr 2021

The 2013 Cristal Rosé is searingly intense right out of the glass, just like the Blanc, except it has a bit more fleshiness because of the skin contact on the Pinot. Cristal Rosé has one of the best track records for aging in Champagne. I suspect the 2013 will join the ranks of the epic vintages, but it is painfully tight today. The blend is 55% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ) and 45% Chardonnay (from Avize and Mesnil) done in the classic Roederer infusion style in which Pinot Noir is vinified on the skins and then blended with Chardonnay to complete the fermentation. About 25% of the lots were done in oak, while malolactic fermentation was blocked.

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

Aromas of strawberry, iron, orange peel and brioche follow through to a full body with gorgeous fruit and sweet tannins that layer the wine. Strawberry-patisserie undertones. Rather juicy and chewy with very round, fine tannins. Savory, flavorful and lightly spicy. Caressing finish with lots of fruity flavor and dryness. Drink now or hold.

98 points James Suckling jamessuckling.com

Cristal Rosé has always occupied a special place in the Champagne universe, a wine born from the same uncompromising philosophy that made Cristal legendary. Louis Roederer’s deep commitment to estate grown fruit and biodynamic farming finds its ultimate expression here, guided by the thoughtful precision of cellar master Jean Baptiste Lécaillon. The 2013 vintage in Champagne was a later ripening season that rewarded patience, producing wines of remarkable tension and aromatic detail. Fruit for Cristal Rosé comes from some of the finest Grand Cru vineyards, including the chalk rich slopes of Aÿ and Avize, with Pinot Noir gently infused alongside Chardonnay to create both colour and layered complexity.

A luminous salmon pink shimmer catches the light, animated by an exquisitely fine stream of bubbles. The bouquet unfolds slowly and beautifully with wild strawberry, blood orange and redcurrant entwined with rose petal, toasted hazelnut and delicate pastry notes. There is an ethereal chalky freshness that keeps everything feeling lifted. On the palate the wine is both powerful and weightless, red berry purity wrapped in silky mousse and driven by vibrant acidity. Subtle spice and mineral precision carry through an extraordinarily long finish that seems to resonate well beyond the final sip.

This is the kind of Champagne that transforms a moment into a memory. Think candlelight, soft laughter, perhaps a favourite record spinning quietly while a chilled bottle waits in the wings. It pairs effortlessly with lobster, duck with cherry glaze, tuna tataki or even simply enjoyed on its own when the occasion calls for something truly special. While already breathtaking in youth, the 2013 Cristal Rosé is built for the long haul and will continue to gain savoury depth, truffle nuance and honeyed complexity over the next fifteen to twenty years. A rare and captivating expression of vintage Champagne at its most refined.