Cristal Rosé (1995)

About this wine

Cristal Rosé 1995 is a flagship rosé built on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with the color and perfume coming from a saignée style approach that gives it real depth rather than simple pink fruitiness. The first impression leans into fresh strawberry and blackcurrant, then quickly turns toward blood orange and mandarin, with a steady undercurrent of toasted brioche. You get a distinct nutty edge, closer to roasted chestnut than almond, that makes the fruit feel more complex and less candy like. The palate stays focused on citrus peel and red berry, then finishes with a chalky, saline snap that keeps it energized. Cristal Rosé itself was introduced in the 1970s as an extension of the original Cristal, created for the Russian Imperial court, and it has kept that reputation for precision and ceremony ever since.

About the grape

This bottling is based on 62 percent Pinot Noir and 38 percent Chardonnay, with a small portion of the must vinified under oak and no malolactic fermentation. Pinot Noir in Cristal Rosé comes from Roederer grands crus such as Aÿ and plots in the Montagne de Reims, where low yields and careful green harvesting concentrate color and tannin and the saignée style or infusion technique is used to lend the cuvée its rosé character. Chardonnay is drawn from the Côte des Blancs, notably villages like Avize and Le Mesnil, where chalky soils and upright training preserve high natural acidity and freshness that balance the Pinot. Louis Roederer has long practised parcel by parcel vinification and massal selection, and by the 1990s many Cristal parcels were being farmed with organic and biodynamic principles to protect vine material and terroir expression.

Quick facts

• 🏛️ Cristal Rosé 1995 was later released as a ‘Vinothèque’ bottling after extended cellar ageing, making it rarer and more museum-like than regular releases.
• 🎨 Its rosé color comes from a gentle long maceration of Pinot Noir rather than adding red wine, a technique Roederer used to keep an especially luminous hue in 1995 bottles.
• 🥭 Many listings note the 1995 rosé shows surprising tropical notes like mango and peach alongside classic red berries, an unusual fruit profile for a cool-climate vintage year.
• ⏳ Some bottles of the 1995 Cristal Rosé were disgorged many years after bottling, so you can find the same vintage with different disgorgement dates and distinct flavour terraces.
• 🌞 Collectors prize the 1995 rosé for its historic winemaking choices at Roederer, including one of the last vintages where warmer Pinot Noir maceration temperatures were still used, giving it a uniquely sunlit character.

Palate profile

Producer

Louis Roederer, established in 1776 in Reims, France, is one of the few remaining family-owned Champagne houses, renowned for its commitment to quality and innovation. In 1876, the house created the prestigious Cristal cuvée for Tsar Alexander II of Russia, marking the first 'prestige cuvée' in history. Today, Louis Roederer owns 240 hectares of vineyards across the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, and Côte des Blancs, allowing for meticulous control over grape quality. The house has also been a pioneer in sustainable viticulture, with a significant portion of its vineyards cultivated using biodynamic practices.