Was 1966 a good year in Champagne?
A published vintage chart rates Champagne 1966 4 out of 5 stars. A moderate crop of healthy fruit making elegant, well-balanced wines. An excellent year falling just short of 1964 and 1969.
Winter frosts and hailstorms reduced yields, and a rainy season with little sunshine was saved by a sunny September and excellent picking conditions.
What the critics scored the 1966
One critic score is on record: 97/100, undated.
By score the 1966 ranks 13th of 39 scored Louis Roederer Cristal vintages, 1.1 points above their review-weighted 95.9.
The 1960s by score: 1966 97.0, 1967 96.0 and 1969 98.0.
| Score | Reviewed |
|---|---|
| 97/100 | Undated |
We needed a palate cleanser, and it was a spectacular one, a 1966 Louis Roederer Cristal. Caramel oozed out of the glass like Scarlett Johansson out of a limousine. Ray took my daydream away from me with brittle, more burnt, cooked caramel, and I immediately saw his four best high school buddies getting out of the limo after her. Bruce gushed, the best vintage of the best decade in Champagne. Bread crusts, honey, orange rind and hazelnut (Pat) resulted in an orgy of aromas. It was pure vanilla sex going down the hatch, and it was so good it caused Big Boy to ramble about the 1911 and 28 Pol Roger for about ten minutes. It was a short speech by the usual standards
What drinkers rate it
93.0 out of 100 from 2 drinker ratings, the most recent in March 2026.
That is 4.0 points below the critics' score.
Drinker rank: 32nd of 44. The most-rated vintage has 559 ratings.
2 written notes, February 2015 to March 2026, rating it 92 to 94.
One of the few Champagne bottles I had to open with a cork screw…. Bernsteil color some sweet sherry, almond and nut notes. Full bodied with some creamy very fine bubbles and excellent length. The Cristal did show after 1 hour better than freshly opened. Great experience
Wine Tasted at Acker Auction (Marea - New York NY): Tasting, brief note. Slightly sweet apple and pear that was fresher than I'd have expected at this age, with better fruit, despite almost no remaining effervescence. Yum, thanks, John!
What it has traded at
| Month | Low | Median | High | Trades |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-07 | £604 | £604 | £604 | 1 |
One trade month on record, July 2017: 1 sale at £604 a bottle.
That last sale is 9 years old: history, not a quote.
7 other vintages also last traded in 2017: 6 cheaper, 0 dearer.
The 1966 against its neighbours
The 1966 beside its 2 nearest recorded years.
Here, by score, it places 2nd of 3.
| Vintage | Score | Drinkers | Window | Last trade | Retail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 97.0 | 93.0 (2) | None | £604, July 2017 | None |
| 1967 | 96.0 | None | None | None | None |
| 1969 | 98.0 | 94.1 (8) | None | £604, July 2017 | None |