Collection: Baby Cristal. Estate-grown. 2018 vintage. £330 a case.

Everyone knows Cristal. Not enough people know this.

Louis Roederer Brut Vintage 2018 is the house's lesser known vintage wine, and its most underrated. Same estate, same cellar master, same obsessive attention to detail, sourced exclusively from Roederer's own Grand Cru vineyards in Verzy and Chouilly, 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay. Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon calls it "a chameleon champagne — concentrated, fruity and deep." At £55 a bottle, it is one of the most underpriced serious champagnes on the market.

2018 was a brilliant vintage in Champagne and the wine shows it; rich, exuberant, full of life, but with that chalky backbone from the Montagne de Reims that keeps everything taut.

One more thing worth knowing: the 2018 is the last vintage to include Chardonnay in the blend. From 2019 onwards, it becomes a Blanc de Noirs. This is the end of an era and worth owning for that reason alone. We have just 10 cases available of this cracker... don't miss them.

Delivery in summer, 2026.