A mate invited me to join his tasting group last night for an informal evening of fizz.
Collection 242
2017 base vintage plus 44% perpetual reserve with vintages dating back to 2009. Dark fruited, surprisingly rich and savoury. Technically dry but has sweetness from older reserve wines. Nice mid-palate energy. 42% Chardonnay, 36% Pinot Noir, 22% Pinot Meunier; interesting that the combined red grape proportion puts this so close to the classic Cristal blend of 60/40 Pinot/Chard.
91/100
Brut Vintage 2014
Deeper colour than the 2014 Cristal. A rich, bold and red fruit-driven expression (71% Pinot Noir, 29% Chardonnay). Deeply pitched and with engaging mid-palate texture. Finishes broad and assertive.
92/100
Cristal 2014
Next to the Brut Vintage much more reserved and delicate. Has a filigree texture that’s taut and fine-boned. Bright and vibrant acid line. A distinctive preserved lemon character and a saline finish. Multi-faceted and long.
95/100
Brut Vintage 2013
Aromas of nougat and rich orchard fruit. Has some savoury and toasty aspects, and a very faint reduction in the background that seems to be a hallmark of these 2013s. Tight-packed and complex but this is bursting at the seams with fruit whilst the Cristal is much more linear and reined in.
94/100
Cristal 2013
Reductive, smokey and introverted. Has a laser beam focus and a sort of reverberating saline bitterness. Long, chalky and rippling with energy. A zesty preserved / cured lemon character. Significant volume at the core but it’s very controlled and coiled. Huge potential.
97/100
Brut Vintage 2012
This and the Cristal 2012 show less colour differentiation than between the 2014s. This is open-hearted, with breadth, richness and spice. The mid-palate is starting to show some evolution and is moving into a citrus butter phase. There’s a very attractive inner harmony and it effortlessly sits on the palate. Drinking well but maybe misses some of the excitement of the leaner and more sculpted vintages.
93/100
Cristal 2012
Stylistically this is closer to the 2013 than the 2014. It shows a hint of the 2013’s reduction, and mineral smoke, but it’s toned down. In the early stages of evolution, with a creaminess at the core and a floral tone I’ve not noticed in other vintages - white blossom and jasmine. The finish is full and fans out rather than staying focused and linear.
95/100
Cristal 2006
Hitting a mature phase compared to previous vintages, with white chocolate, coffee cream and a golden graham, caramel, character. There’s a sweetness and toastiness linking to a Maillard reaction caramelised quality that’s very attractive. Mid-palate spice and a forward, flamboyant richness. Wearing its heart on its sleeve, as opposed to some of the more complex and subtle vintages, and finishes with nougat and truffles.
93/100
Cristal 2004
More stylish and sophisticated than the more obvious 2006. Precise, cool and linear. It has a compact profile that’s cool and even a little bit minty - like Ramonet spearmint. After the maturity of 2006 and early evolution of 2012 this is much more primary and youthful, with crisp orchard fruit and a distincly cool vintage character.
95/100
Cristal 2002
Inhabiting the space between maturity and energy, where it has a bewitching combination of aged characters and youthful, vibrant drive. The nose has elements of toasted nuts whilst the palate displays razor-sharp citrus drive and high-definition fruit. Beautifully chiselled and precise with a great interplay between light and shade. Really long and really quite magical.
98/100
Cristal 1999
Opulent and mature with a chocolatey, creamy edge and a palate with a sort of umani sweet / savoury note. Truffles. Rounded, buttery and luxuriant but just lacking a bit of shape. Broad and creamy finish. For drinking now it delivers a lot of pleasure but it’s not great on tension or mineral salinity.
92/100
Cristal 2008
This is a study in tension, reserve and coiled power. This begins linear and extremely compact but the mid-palate hints at ripe, rich and layered fruit but everything is just dripping with acidity. Pitch-perfect balance and tension with a structure that’s at once fine-spun and very high tensile. Very, very pure and vivid. Delicate yet intrguingly strong at the same time, chiselled and mineral.
98/100
Cheers,
Matthew
