Cristal
2019 spot: 5
2018 spot: 20
Louis Roederer is the little Champagne house that could. Punching well above its weight with its entire range (the brut NV is a perennial favourite), Roederer combines the glamour, prestige and global reach of a true grande marque with the scale and craftsmanship of a boutique grower.
Cristal currently feels like a truly refreshed brand, its days of bling, hip-hop association far behind it.
The recently released 2012 vintage is also the first to be made from biodynamically farmed grapes – an incidental feather in its cap as the wine world increasingly turns towards sustainability.
From a purely market standpoint meanwhile, Cristal (along with other prestige cuvées such as Dom Pérignon) much like Sassicaia works because it is a brand with reach, an excellent image, known quality, accessibility and is affordable to a broad cross section of people.
