News: 2013 Cristal Rosé Magnum | Candidate for Wine of the Vintage

“A candidate for wine-of-the-vintage honors in Champagne”, Wine Advocate about 2013 Cristal Rosé

At RareWine Invest, we often encounter wines that score at the very high end of the scale. But it is certainly not often that a wine is close to perfection. However, that is the case with the 2013 Cristal Rosé available in this investment tip. And according to Wine Advocate, it is a strong candidate to be the wine of the vintage.

Cristal Rosé delivers. Delivers on quality. Delivers on demand. Delivers on historical returns. And in this case, Cristal Rosé also delivers on rarity, as this latest release is in magnum format. The demand for Champagne is rising, and when supply cannot keep up, exciting things happen. Read more here.

Cristal: Rosé from Champagnes Musigny?

Cristal became a reality because a paranoid Champagne-drinking Tsar in 1876 wanted assassination-proof bubbles. The story of Cristal is one of a kind, and perhaps because it was born out of a desire for the best Champagne the world had yet seen, Cristal remains at the top of the world's sublime Champagne hierarchy to this day. Because yes, it really is that good: whether it comes in white or pink.

For many years there was only one Cristal, but in 1974 the world was enriched with the very first rosé version of Cristal. It is made using the Saignée method, where red wine is blended with white wine and is produced in much smaller quantities than its white counterpart.

Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, cellar master at Louis Roederer, says that they try to make wines that reflect the soil and refers to one example, Villers, which is a biodynamically farmed parcel in Ay that is included in a Cristal Rosé. It is located just above the vineyards used in Dom Pérignon's Rosé, but Jean-Baptiste calls the vineyards Champagnes Musigny. Because according to him, both Cristal and Dom Pérignon make some of the best Rosé Champagnes from the same area. It is the soil that creates the flavor of Champagne.

Whether or not you agree with the Musigny reference, there is no questioning Cristal's position on the world wine scene, and their consistent quality is a collector's dream.

Read the story of Cristal in our full article: The myth of Cristal: Crystal clear, exclusive and tamper-proof

Rosé Champagne On Magnum: It Does Not Get More Exclusive Than This

Champagne connotes extravagance and luxury, but if you want a little more prestige, quality, and opulence, look no further than the pink, bubbly alternatives. Producers tend to produce significantly less Rosé Champagnes than regular white Champagnes. Cristal Rosé is also Louis Roederer's smallest cuvée, and it is not known for sure how many bottles are actually produced.

But approximately 400,000 bottles of Cristal are produced in vintages strong enough to qualify for release. Rosé volumes are smaller - and your opportunity to invest in the 2013 Cristal Rosé is even in Magnum format, making it far more limited than the regular format releases. Is this an advantage? There is roughly the same amount of oxygen in a regular bottle as there is in a magnum, even though the amount of Champagne in a magnum is twice as much. This results in a slower and more graceful maturation process, a long lifecycle, and increased storage potential, which works in the investor's favor.

A small fun fact: In 2019, only 15.4 million bottles of Rosé Champagnes were produced, representing only 5% of the total Champagne production.

Consistently High Quality Characterises Cristal Rosé

Cristal Rosé is rightly described as one of the absolute best Rosé Champagnes in the world, and consistently high scores support that postulate. No vintage listed in the chart below has received less than 95 points. Cristal Rosé is thus a solid member of the high-scoring club, and in 2013 Cristal Rosé placed itself in the top tier of the extremely high standard.

The 2013 vintage receives 99 points from Wine Advocate (only surpassed by 100 points for the great benchmark vintages 2008 and 2002), while Vinous awards 98 points. Richard Juhlin has yet to award points, but if he shares his enthusiasm for Cristal Rosé with the others, as he tends to do, 2013 will retain its place at the top.

Performance On Cristal Rosé

Cristal is a frequent and welcome guest at RareWine Invest, and of course, this is because they guarantee quality release after release. And when it comes to returns, in recent years, they have also proven their worth in the investment world. According to Liv-ex, the last 10 vintages^* of Cristal Rosé that have been on the market for at least five years have returned an average of 54,3% over the last five years, giving an average annual return of 9,0%. Furthermore, all Cristal Rosé^** we have recommended for investment has very much in correspondence with this returned an average of 9,0% annualized return since the first date of the investment tip.

*Vintages: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1996

**Vintages: 2013, 2012, 2012 (MAG), 2008, 2008 (MAG) and 2005

Rosé Champagne: Future Price Performer?

The Champagne category faces a significant upside as Asia's demand for Champagne increases. The wine market in China is expected to double by 2016. The market will grow from $42 billion in 2021 to $72.2 billion in 2026 - an average annual growth rate of 11.5%. The sparkling wine category is expected to grow by 11.3% per year by 2026, which also covers the rosé category.

In addition, strong players are setting up operations in Provence, which is to Rosé wine what Champagne is to sparkling wine. Both the Chanel Group and LVMH have been buying up prestigious producers, and there is a reason for this. The Rosé category is becoming increasingly popular among wine lovers, which will obviously impact the Rosé Champagne category.

Rosé Champagnes are produced in much smaller quantities, partly because production is significantly more demanding - and Liv-ex reports that buyers looking for options other than white Champagnes will seek out brands such as Comtes de Champagne, Dom Pérignon, and Cristal because of their credibility.

"However, as this market segment evolves, this lack of liquidity, if it is coupled with rising demand, could one day make roséchampagnes some of the best price performers around", says Liv-ex.

RareWine Invest's Opinion

This is your chance to be involved from the start on a brand new magnum release from a fantastic vintage. It is not common to see a wine like this: 99 points, Cristal rosé (from Champagnes Musigny) on the label, and a format that is even more limited at birth.

Cristal Rosé has delivered great historical returns, but it is in the future that the great potential lies. The Champagne category is attracting increasing attention, and in that category, Rosé is more rare, more extravagant, and more exclusive. And it is precisely this unequal relationship that, according to Liv-ex, could make Rosé Champagne the big price performer of the future. Add to this the fact that there will always be a demand for wines with 99 points - this one even has an extra-long lifespan due to its large format.

The 2013 Cristal Rosé is one of the best Cristal rosés ever released, and this is the kick-off. We have managed to get our hands on a small batch, so this opportunity is always first come, first served.