Last month, mature vintages of Louis Roederer’s famous Cristal Champagne were auctioned on iDealwine. And what a success!
The extraordinary thing about great Champagne is that when it’s mature (at least 10 years old), it expresses the fullness of the great wine behind it, enhanced by a sparkle that is softened by age, more composed than in its youth and often voluptuous. Cristal, an icon of the Roederer house, is one of those unforgettable tasting experiences, especially when served with just the right delicate dishes. During a special Cristal vertical tasting in 2017, the pairing of a bottle of the 2002 with a veal sweetbread dish (read our article here), remains engraved in the memories of those who concocted this feast, starting with the cellar master, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon.
In iDealwine’s auctions, Cristal impassions wine lovers from all over the world. It has to be said that, on the palate, this Champagne has exquisite texture, thanks to the patient work in the cellar, where the wines are matured on their lees in oak barrels and foudres (large oak tuns). Cristal is made from specific plots, all of which located in the Grand Cru area and fully converted to biodynamic farming since 2011.
The Champagne’s performance on the secondary wine auction market reflects the devotion and extremely high standards applied in making it. In January 2025, a bottle of 1976 Cristal sold for €876. Other vintages auctioned on iDealwine include the 1986, which sold for €526 (+11%), as well as the 1989 (€488), 1995 (€476, +11%) and 1996 (€576). Two remarkable years were auctioned in magnums – the famous 2002 fetched €789 (+7%), while the 2008 soared to €876 (+35%). Last month’s bidders were mainly from Europe (Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Greece and Romania), but the auctions also drew in wine lovers from much further afield, as Cristal also has a strong following in Korea and Hong Kong.
So what attracted enthusiasts to these Cristal auctions? The exquisite purity and elegance of the 2008 vintage or the emotion procured by older Cristal vintages? It’s surely a little bit of all this that wine lovers hoped to find when set their sights on these exceptional bottles.
