1978 Louis Roederer Cristal Vertical (1978-2009)
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 1978 Cristal is another drop-dead gorgeous beauty. Ample, full-bodied and intense, the 1978 is endowed with magnificent depth and overall intensity in all of its dimensions. Apricot jam, candied orange peel, crème brulée, caramel and rosewater are some of the signatures, but it is the wine’s sheer power, baritone-like depth and exotic, almost tropical profile that are most impressive. It is easy to overlook the 1978 Cristal in this tasting, but it is a wine that deserves considerable attention. The 1978 Cristal is now fully mature, but it is nevertheless profoundly beautiful today. A late-ripening year, 1978 was marked by high disease pressure, low yields and October harvest. This is the best bottle of the 1978 I have ever tasted.
Critic scores
The Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Another pretty, mature Champagne, the 1978 Cristal is all about texture at this stage. Orange jam, honey and wild flowers are some of the notes that open up in the glass.
The 1978 Cristal was the most advanced of these wines. Sweet and unctuous at first, it lost steam in the glass fairly quickly.
The 1978 Cristal was the most advanced of these wines. Sweet and unctuous at first, it lost steam in the glass fairly quickly. Antonio Galloni, May 2008