Louis Roederer Cristal 1970

Was 1970 a good year in Champagne?

A published vintage chart rates Champagne 1970 4 out of 5. Sound quality across a huge crop, and most of the major houses chose to declare.

Abundant sunshine and rain produced the largest harvest on record at the time.

What the critics scored the 1970

One critic score is on record: 98/100, June 2017.

By score the 1970 ranks 2nd of 39 (tied with 1969, 1974, 1977 and 2018) scored Louis Roederer Cristal vintages, 2.1 points above their review-weighted 95.9.

The 1970s by score: 1970 98.0, 1973 94.0, 1974 98.0, 1975 94.0, 1976 95.0, 1977 98.0, 1978 93.2 and 1979 97.3. The 1970 shares the decade's top score.

The 1970 Cristal is a wine from another era. It was the last Cristal fermented in oak and also the last Cristal aged on the cork. For those reasons, the 1970 is really a window into the style of the 1960s. The aromas alone are captivating. Silky and nuanced, with phenomenal balance, the 1970 offers extraordinary poise and class to burn. What a treat it is to taste the 1970 from a pristine bottle. Even after going back to some of the younger vintages in this tasting the 1970 holds its place as one of the top wines of the night. There is something emotionally thrilling about the 1970 that is hard to capture with words, but it’s all there in the glass. Readers lucky enough to taste the 1970 are in for a real treat. I can only hope I will get another opportunity someday.

What drinkers rate it

88.0 out of 100 from 2 drinker ratings, the most recent in May 2024.

That is 10.0 points below the critics' score.

Drinker rank: 44th of 44. The most-rated vintage has 559 ratings.

When to drink the 1970

2017 to 2022: 5 years, opening 47 years after the harvest.

Closed 4 years before our 2026 snapshot, so provenance counts for more than price.

Window length rank, longest first: 31st of 33 (tied with 1975).

The 1970 against its neighbours

The 1970 beside its 4 nearest recorded years.

Here, by score, it places 1st of 5 (tied with 1969 and 1974).