Louis Roederer Cristal 1975

Was 1975 a good year in Champagne?

Published vintage charts rate Champagne 1975 4 out of 5 stars and 5 out of 5. Great character and density with excellent fruit and acidity. It misses the top rank only on a relative softness of structure.

A cold spring with late budbreak and flowering, then a hot, sunny, dry summer. A relatively large 9,082 kg/ha picked from late September into October.

What the critics scored the 1975

2 critic scores from 2 reviewers, all 2 scores on the 100-point scale at 94/100. Score: 94.0 out of 100.

The dated reviews run from 2008 to 2017, young and mature bottles alike.

By score the 1975 ranks 30th of 39 (tied with 1973 and 1981) scored Louis Roederer Cristal vintages, 1.9 points below 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 1975 Cristal is sublime. The bubbles have largely subsided. What remains is an utterly, exquisite Champagne. Concentrated, powerful and vinous, for its age and vintage the 1975 simply has it all. Orange marmalade, spices and dried flowers add intrigue throughout. The 1975 is a very pretty wine, but it loses some intensity with air. Any remaining bottles are best enjoyed over the next few years.

The 1975 Cristal was sweet, pure and ethereal in its suggestions of pears and spices.

What drinkers rate it

95.5 out of 100 from 4 drinker ratings, the most recent in July 2025.

That is 1.5 points above the critics' score.

Drinker rank: 13th of 44. The most-rated vintage has 559 ratings.

3 written notes, July 2012 to July 2025, rating it 94 to 96.

The 1975 Cristal opens with layered aromas of orange marmalade, dried flowers, honeyed caramel and a hint of nutty rancio, all underscored by a soft citrus thread. On the palate it’s richly oily and unctuous, with low acidity and virtually no mousse, offering a contemplative, almost Burgundian depth and a long, warming finish. I find it a profoundly mature Champagne, exquisitely complex but with a subdued sparkle that may surprise anyone expecting brisk effervescence.

Pale amber color lots of roasted almonds honey hazelnut and orang zest sweet caramel. Full bodied with just a little very fine bubbles and a very long velvety finish.

Perfectly mature champagne. Spherical in the mouth with nothing out of place. The richness of the fruit slightly out paces the acidity at this point. Flavors are wonderful yellow fruits, roasted nuts, cream, and spun sugar. Not getting better, but will hold for some time.

What it has traded at

3 trade months, October 2015 to December 2015, 5 sales. Median £298 to £306, up 3 per cent.

Cheapest sale £295 (October 2015), dearest £306 (November 2015).

That last sale is 11 years old: history, not a quote.

1 other vintage also last traded in 2015: 1 cheaper, 0 dearer.

When to drink the 1975

2017 to 2022: 5 years, opening 42 years after the harvest.

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

Yet 1 drinker note came after 2022, the latest July 2025 at 94.

Window length rank, longest first: 31st of 33 (tied with 1970).

The 1975 against its neighbours

The 1975 beside its 4 nearest recorded years.

Here, by score, it places 4th of 5 (tied with 1973).