Champagne Louis Roederer, founded in 1776, remains one of the very rare family Champagne businesses. For two centuries, six succeeding generations have been inspired by the same concern for quality. Frederic Rouzaud took up the reins in early 2006 from his father Jean-Claude Rouzaud who remains Chairman of the Board. Jean-Claude, grandson of Madame Camille Olry-Roederer and himself a trained Oenologist had led the company for 38 years, and is referred to as the 'Sage' of Champagne (the wise man of Champagne).

Oh, yes! A lovely delicate pale lemon/straw color. This is pristine and fragrant, perfumed if you prefer. There is citrus, notably lemon, oyster shell notes, fresh pastry, the merest whiff of almonds, and an entrancing chalk. A textural note like crème brûlée and yet the finest of mineral backing. Immaculate balance, finesse, and length. Bright acidity, almost like biting into a green apple. A champagne bursting with life and freshness yet remaining refined. Glorious. A joy now but will become an orchestra of brilliance over the next decade and more. Imagine a perfect Queensland winter’s morning. You are on a yacht slicing through the crystal-clear blue ocean and someone opens a nearly perfect bottle of champagne. And we have the 2014 Cristal. Rating: 99 Points; Ken Gargett

Medium straw-yellow colour, with a super-complex bouquet that summons nougat, almond-iced pastries, peanut brittle and lemon juice. A hint of milk powder. The palate is searingly intense and powered by vivacious lemony acidity, while the creaminess of the mousse is exquisite. The finish is very long and refined, the texture creamy and seamless in its effortless flow. A wonderful wine, but the acidity is challenging solo and it really cries out for food, even something as simple as oysters. I'd give it more time to lose its austerity. Rating: 98 Points; Huon Hooke; Real Review

Since 2012, Cristal has been made entirely from organically-farmed grapes, an approach Lécaillon adopted in order to achieve a more ideal and parallel relationship between sugar and phenolic ripeness. “Champagne is always a battle between picking too early and rot,” Lécaillon has often said during our tastings. One of the other benefits of organic farming is that it naturally lowers yields. As Champagne fans know, the great wines of the 1950s and 1960s were made at a time when yields were in the 5,000 kilo per hectare range. Then, in the 1980s, widespread planting of higher-yielding clones led to an entirely different situation in the vineyard. Today’s permitted yields are 11,000 kilos per hectare, with some variation in years that present unusual growing conditions. With organic farming, yields for Cristal are in the 7,000-9,000 kilo per hectare range. Another innovation at Roederer has been a focus on higher-density plantings with newer vineyards, an approach that encourages low production per vine. But back to the wine.  Date: Feb 2022; Drink: 2024-2064; Rating: 98 Points; Antonio Galloni; Vinous

The fruit was picked later in the season of 2014 than usual. Still, the low potassium levels of the vineyard leant a fresh and racy salinity to the wine that could easily be mistaken as high acidity. The extra hang time gives complexity and flavours of ripe peaches, fresh strawberries, toast, hazelnuts and vanilla. Chardonnay is particularly pertinent to the bubble development resulting in an elegant, precise, vivid and graceful wine. Tasted: May 2022; Alcohol: 12%; Price: $450; Closure: Cork; Drink: 2022-2045; Rated: 97 Points; Curly Haslam-Coates; The Wine Front

Lots of mineral and oyster-shell aromas with light toasted-bread and pie-crust undertones. Hints of caramel, apple and pear tart, too. Medium to full body with phenolic intensity and length. Intense at the finish, with driving acidity and length. Generous and expressive. Date: June 2022; Rating: 97 Points; James Suckling