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 1,000 auction lots. Krug commands the highest average prices at $25,053 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
$25,053
avg / bottle
1,000 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.
| Producer | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Total Lots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krug | $1,646 | $1,009 | $785 | $1,126 | $1,079 | $1,557 | $1,015 | $1,634 | $1,361 | $20,942 | $55,335 | $95,284 | $12,593 | $12,478 | $12,717 | 1,000 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krug, Clos du Mesnil | 1992 | — | — | $202,500 | $215,000 | — | 7 | 14.0% |
| Krug, Clos d'Ambonnay | 2000 | — | $150,950 | $490,000 | $114,361 | $137,422 | 10 | -3.1% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 2008 | $300,000 | $118,450 | $500,000 | $4,750 | $133,900 | 17 | 16.4% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 1983 | $1,400 | — | $81,760 | — | $131,571 | 16 | 45.6% |
| Krug, Clos d'Ambonnay | 1995 | $320,000 | — | $486,667 | $147,409 | $95,444 | 33 | -44.7% |
| Krug, Clos du Mesnil | 1983 | — | — | $57,520 | $73,725 | — | 12 | -59.5% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 1990 | $2,800 | $89,104 | $109,800 | $91,032 | $73,136 | 57 | 99.9% |
| Louis Roederer, Cristal | 1971 | — | — | — | $70,000 | — | 1 | — |
| Krug, Clos du Mesnil | 1982 | — | $2,250 | $135,160 | $5,467 | $44,360 | 19 | 38.4% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 1999 | $35,200 | $84,075 | $158,709 | $49,152 | $43,032 | 78 | 4.5% |
| Louis Roederer, Cristal | 1993 | $300 | — | $400 | $270 | $40,180 | 8 | 240.2% |
| Krug, Clos d'Ambonnay | 1996 | $290,000 | — | $153,361 | $43,698 | $39,552 | 26 | -48.4% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 1985 | $170,000 | $36,239 | $242,029 | $1,848 | $37,417 | 31 | -31.5% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 2007 | — | $2,100 | $60,583 | $969 | $36,489 | 36 | -21.7% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 2013 | — | — | — | $19,229 | $33,899 | 33 | 76.3% |
| Louis Roederer, Cristal | 1999 | — | $867 | $17,270 | $63,300 | $28,868 | 33 | 238.3% |
| Louis Roederer, Cristal | 1990 | $687 | — | $7,381 | $98,691 | $28,708 | 50 | 18.2% |
| Louis Roederer, Cristal | 1995 | — | — | $92,500 | $1,367 | $26,976 | 16 | -75.3% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 1997 | $950 | $58,452 | $66,838 | $54,279 | $24,209 | 53 | 99.0% |
| Krug, Clos du Mesnil | 1996 | $1,660 | $6,000 | $48,646 | $6,585 | $21,514 | 77 | 48.2% |
| Louis Roederer, Cristal | 1985 | $145,000 | — | — | — | $18,138 | 7 | -67.6% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 1982 | $1,600 | $154,580 | $170,521 | $55,993 | $17,998 | 40 | 3.5% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 1988 | $1,257 | $165,000 | $90,039 | $51,188 | $17,810 | 41 | 14.5% |
| Salon, Le Mesnil Grand Cru | 2006 | $14,419 | $31,058 | $23,808 | $23,812 | $15,023 | 61 | -41.4% |
| Krug, Clos d'Ambonnay | 2006 | — | — | — | — | $13,500 | 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 (1,000 lots), making it the easiest to trade if you need to exit a position quickly.
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