Roederer/Louis Brut Champagne Cristal Vinotheque 1996

100 points/'Top 100 Cellar Selections 2019,' Wine Enthusiast: "A re-release from one of the legendary vintages of the last 30 years, this Champagne still shows some of the intense acidity that marked that year. It has gained maturity, but it's an ageless, magnificent wine. Although it is ready to drink, it will hold well through 2029. Alcohol 12%. (Dec 2019)"

99 points Richard Juhlin: "(55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay). One of the most perfect 96's with an incredibly early charm in all its grandeur. Got a good friend of mine to cry with happiness on a visit to Roederer. Perfection. (Mar 2016)"

99 points James Suckling: "The wine starts with attractive, reductive, toasty aromas, then freshens with air to offer fresh flowers and very fine lime peel and lemon pith, as well as grapefruit and yellow plums. The palate has an intense, fine and fresh feel with super long, lemon and lime flavors, together with subtle, nutty moments that will build with time on cork. Then, a late, spicy edge and super tart, mouthwatering grapefruit. Seemingly endless length and potential. Kept on the lees for its entire life and disgorged in 2012. Dosage of 7g using 1996 wine - as pure as possible. A must for every collector of great Champagne. (10/17/19)"

99 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Light greenish-yellow, gold glints, very vibrant, fine mousse. At first, smoky-stony nuances, autolytic bouquet of mocha, malt and hazelnut, underpinned by sea buckthorn and white nougat pervaded by blackcurrant fruits and leaves and delicate nuances of blood oranges, immensely multifaceted bouquet. Taut texture, full-bodied, fine notes of peach and pineapple, delicate hints of physalis, racy structure, distinctly bitter-saline minerality, citrusy touch on the finish, very good length. A versatile food companion, good ageing potential, not yet as perfectly developed as the classically matured Cristal. Very unique. (3/12/2020)"

98 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 1996 Vinothèque version of Cristal was aged on its cork ten years stored horizontally, and then an additional four years with the bottle in a vertical position prior to its disgorgement in the fall of 2011. This has been a legendary wine in the Cristal firmament since its original release, but Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon feels that he could have crafted an even more complete Cristal here in 1996 if he had employed some of the blending ideas that gave birth to the 2008 (such as a bit of vins clairs that went through malo or were barrel-fermented), but these techniques had not yet been tested and proven positive back in 1996. In any event, the very tensile nature originally displayed by the 1996 Cristal is not particularly evident today in the Vinothèque version, which was showing brilliantly in March in Reims, wafting from the glass in a gorgeous blend of pear, apple, a touch of hazelnut, a combination of brioche and incipient crème patissière, complex limestone soil tones and just a whisper of honeycomb starting to emerge in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still rock solid at the core, with great focus and grip, magical complexity, elegant mousse and great cut and balance on the very, very long, electric finish. This is a great vintage of Cristal that has taken beautifully to the Vinothèque extended aging regimen in the cellars and the wine is now drinking very well indeed, though of course, with decades and decades of life still ahead of it. Drink: 2018-2075. (Mar/Apr 2018)"

98 points John Stimpfig (Decanter): "A blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, this is a truly remarkable champagne offering pure, unalloyed pleasure now and for many years yet. It has a fabulous nose showing freshness and fruit with supple, savoury aromas of brioche and cox’s apple. The acidity is vibrant, light and taut yet somehow also exhibits lovely roundness and a gorgeous satin-like texture. The palate spectrum is mind-boggling, with flavours ranging from cashew, cream, nougat and toast to white pear, citrus and crystallised fruits. Supremely balanced and refined, it finishes with a sumptuously long, savoury-umami finish. Drinking Window: 2018-2035. (Nov 2018)"

96 points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "The 1996 Cristal Vinothèque spent 10 years sur lattes and four years sur pointe (for an explanation of those terms, readers are directed to the accompanying article) before disgorgement. Opening in the glass with a complex bouquet of dried fruits, honeycomb, fresh butter, lemon oil, spices and smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and integrated, its racy spine of vintage-typical acidity elegantly cloaked in crisp but fleshy fruit, with terrific concentration and a long, precise finish. Incisive and powerful, this is a 1996 Champagne that has turned out very well indeed. Drink: 2019-2040. (Mar 2020)"