Louis Roederer Cristal 1979

What the critics scored the 1979

4 critic scores from 3 reviewers, on the 100-point scale from 96/100 to 99/100. Score: 97.3 out of 100.

The dated reviews run from 2009 to 2019, young and mature bottles alike.

By score the 1979 ranks 12th of 39 scored Louis Roederer Cristal vintages, 1.4 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.

A totally breathtaking Champagne, the 1979 Cristal (magnum) is exotic and stunningly beautiful. Remarkably vivid for a wine of its age, the 1979 is simply emotional. White flowers, orchard fruit, graphite, tangerine oil, spice, dried fruit and citrus confit are some of the many notes that emerge from this spectacular, vibrant Champagne. From magnum, the 1979 is quite a bit fresher than bottle, which is hard to believe, as the bottles are magnificent. The 1979 is just a life-affirming wine. Moreover, it clearly harkens back to another era in Champagne, a time when vineyards were older and before the arrival of new clones and heavy fertilization strategies aimed at increasing production. On paper, 1979 should not have been a great year,” Lecaillon said. “It’s a super complicated vintage. When I went back to the vin clair notes from just after harvest, which I did recently, they all read ‘bitter, bitter, green, bitter.’ And then the wine ends up like this. I can’t explain it. You know, back then we used a lot of taille (second pressing), 10-15%, and it worked. Today, everyone says ‘I just bottle the cuvee, the taille is not interesting. I am using taille more and more. You know, taille is the juice you get closer to the skin, and in some years, it carries a lot of aromatics,” Lecaillon explained. “I think the future of wine is coming back to what is classic. The perfect imperfections,” he adds. This is the original disgorgement from 1985, with dosage of 12 grams per liter, typical of the era.

The 1979 Cristal remains one of my favorite vintages of this Champagne. This bottle is fully resolved, with pretty suggestions of honey, cinnamon, smoke, ash, menthol, hazelnuts and dried apricots. The bouquet remains deeply expressive and melds seamlessly into a succulent, expansive palate. Although the wine is mature, the mousse retains surprising elegance and finesse with a velvet-like softness. This bottle is an original disgorgement from around 1985/1986 and saw 13-14 grams of dosage. 25% of the wine was aged in oak. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012.

The 1979 Cristal is easily one of the greatest Champagnes I have ever had the privilege of tasting and drinking. A wine of breath and volume, the 1979 blossoms on the palate with a heady melange of flavors and textures that will leave the most experiences of Champagne drinkers weak at the knees. Orange peel, crushed flowers and exotic spices are some of the many notes that linger on the finish. Of course provenance is key with older wines, but the 1979 Cristal quite simply is as good as it gets. Well-stored bottles still preserve plenty of the acidity and energy that is one of the hallmarks of this great Champagne vintage.

The third Champagne in this starter flight was incredibly fresh and pungent with fantastic anise, bread and cream aromas. By far the freshest of the trio, there were still loads of acidity here; this was an infant next to the first two. Its flavors were taut and lemony; its finish stony and its acidity longer than a day with the in-laws. Bruce gleefully hailed the 1979 Louis Roederer Cristal as Champagne of the vintage. It was tough to argue

What drinkers rate it

95.0 out of 100 from 32 drinker ratings, the most recent in June 2026.

That is 2.3 points below the critics' score.

Drinker rank: 14th of 44 (tied with 1973). The most-rated vintage has 559 ratings.

5 written notes, October 2019 to June 2026, rating it 92 to 99.

Great! Alive, balanced on the palate. On the nose a lot of oxidation. But palate is fresh and vibrant

A pristine, perfectly-kept bottle with interesting provenance - I got it from Corney & Barrow, who in turn sourced it from the cellar at Blenheim Palace. The cork extracted quite smoothly and with a reassuring hiss: thankfully there was plenty of effervescence remaining in the wine. The nose here is rather massive, with heaps of buttery toasted brioche and steely apricots, veering into impressions of orange marmalade, honey and flowers. The palate is weighty, concentrated, but also exquisitely balanced, with acidity and fruits deliciously intermeshed. Finishes with a pleasant, pithy touch of bitterness. I lack the experience with mature champagne to judge where it goes from here, but I see no reason why this couldn’t keep for another decade or more. A remarkable, memorable bottle of champagne.

Reasonable example of this wine, although showing a touch more ripeness than typical.

TobI's Firework (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): blindclose to perfection, fine bubbles, fresh, cracking aciidty, still not at his end from this perfect bottle, beginning caramell and toffee, but not too much, biscuity with lemon tarte, utterly elegant and balanced. Great power in the finish. I guessed vintage 1981 but after knowing it is 1979 Cristal could be the "only" answer.

not blindA bit tired, no bubbles, great wine but this bottle just over his peak. Aromas of the sweet wine. Creme brulee, vanilla, apricot tart, biscuit. 92

What it has traded at

2 trade months, February 2017 to December 2018, 2 sales. Median £434 to £407, down 6 per cent.

Cheapest sale £407 (December 2018), dearest £434 (February 2017).

That last sale is 8 years old: history, not a quote.

3 other vintages also last traded in 2018: 3 cheaper, 0 dearer.

When to drink the 1979

1999 to 2029: 30 years, opening 20 years after the harvest.

Open at our 2026 snapshot, with 3 years to run.

Window length rank, longest first: 18th of 33 (tied with 2012).

The 1979 against its neighbours

The 1979 beside its 4 nearest recorded years.

Here, by score, it places 2nd of 5.