Cristal vs Blanc de Blancs: Which Champagne Has Better Auction ROI?
Compare Roederer Cristal, Salon, Clos du Mesnil, and Krug Clos d'Ambonnay auction ROI. 5-year data reveals which Champagne style appreciates fastest.
Cristal and Salon represent different investment philosophies — one is ubiquitous, the other deliberately scarce. Auction data shows which strategy wins.
This comparison covers 1 producers across 994 auction lots. Krug commands the highest average prices at $3,792 per bottle.
Producer Comparison
Average hammer prices per bottle across all vintages, 2021–2025. Lot counts indicate auction liquidity — higher is easier to trade.
Krug
$3,792
avg / bottle
994 lots sold
Year-by-Year Price Comparison
The table below tracks each producer's average price per bottle by year, making it possible to identify which domaines appreciated most during different market conditions. Looking at the most recent year of data: Krug rose 227% in 2026.
| Producer | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Total Lots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krug | $963 | $1,012 | $785 | $901 | $935 | $1,557 | $1,341 | $1,303 | $1,539 | $1,837 | $2,927 | $3,879 | $3,018 | $9,879 | 994 |
Individual Wine Performance
Drilling down to individual wines reveals which specific cuvées and vintages have driven each producer's overall appreciation — and which have lagged. CAGR is calculated from the first year each wine appeared at auction to the most recent.
| Wine | Vintage | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Lots | CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 1976 | — | — | $3,050 | $3,192 | $14,667 | 7 | 119.3% |
| Krug, Clos d'Ambonnay | 2006 | — | — | — | — | $13,500 | 2 | — |
| Krug, Clos d'Ambonnay | 1998 | — | — | — | $3,850 | $12,000 | 6 | 211.7% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 2008 | — | $4,600 | $6,750 | $13,125 | $10,987 | 17 | 54.6% |
| Krug, Clos d'Ambonnay | 1995 | — | — | — | $5,875 | $8,427 | 18 | 74.1% |
| Krug, Clos du Mesnil | 1995 | — | $1,500 | $1,300 | $2,131 | $8,355 | 28 | 77.3% |
| Krug, Clos d'Ambonnay | 1996 | — | — | $10,042 | $6,660 | $6,996 | 18 | -16.5% |
| Krug, Clos d'Ambonnay | 2000 | — | — | — | $1,542 | $6,133 | 4 | 297.7% |
| Krug, Collection | 1971 | — | — | $6,500 | $6,000 | — | 3 | -7.7% |
| Krug, Clos du Mesnil | 1983 | — | — | $4,400 | $4,967 | — | 8 | 34.2% |
| Krug, Collection | 1969 | — | — | $6,000 | $6,000 | $4,750 | 7 | 10.1% |
| Krug, Clos du Mesnil | 1981 | — | — | — | $4,650 | — | 4 | — |
| Krug, Clos du Mesnil | 1979 | — | — | $4,250 | $4,421 | — | 7 | 74.0% |
| Krug, Clos du Mesnil | 1990 | $1,728 | $2,080 | $3,611 | $4,118 | $3,923 | 52 | 38.4% |
| Krug, Clos du Mesnil | 1988 | $2,000 | — | $2,406 | $5,801 | $3,774 | 57 | 43.5% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 1959 | — | — | $2,750 | $3,500 | — | 4 | 27.3% |
| Krug, Collection | 1976 | $1,645 | — | $2,267 | $3,500 | — | 11 | 63.5% |
| Krug, Collection | 1961 | — | — | $4,200 | $3,500 | — | 3 | -16.7% |
| Krug, Collection | 1979 | — | — | — | $4,200 | $3,333 | 8 | 96.0% |
| Krug, Collection | 1985 | $1,100 | — | $1,267 | $5,700 | $3,262 | 30 | 34.4% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 1953 | — | — | — | $3,200 | — | 1 | — |
| Krug, Clos du Mesnil | 2003 | $976 | $1,750 | — | $3,153 | $3,117 | 57 | -0.9% |
| Louis Roederer, Cristal | 1949 | — | — | — | $3,000 | — | 1 | — |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 1952 | — | — | — | — | $3,000 | 1 | — |
| Louis Roederer, Cristal | 1983 | $450 | $300 | — | $1,367 | $2,894 | 11 | 50.2% |
Prices are average hammer prices per bottle. Wines with fewer than 3 lots may show volatile averages.
Key Takeaways
- →Most liquid:: Krug has the highest lot count (994 lots), making it the easiest to trade if you need to exit a position quickly.
- →Strongest recent momentum:: Krug showed the largest year-on-year price increase (+227%) — a sign of accelerating collector interest.
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