Extracted from a thread just posted: An epic dinner to host the Sophienwald stemware distributor for the US with 2002 and 2008 Cristal, 2017 PYCM Corton-Charlemagne and 2012 DRC Echezeaux
2008 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL BRUT- the color was a still youthful light yellow and the nose offered an abundance of inviting and enticing aromas that included honey and ginger accented yellow apple with a lemon chaser; the taste profile was more of the same while showcasing its power, richness, depth and complexity which was somewhat softened by its creamy mouthfeel; with all that it had going on, the hallmark for this bottle was its amazing balance; this was the best of all of the 2008 Cristals I’ve had and even though it has years to go before reaching its apogee, it provided an epic exceptional experience.
2002 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL BRUT- I’ve had a few bottles of this vintage, the last one being last December and that bottle was terrific; this bottle seemed to lack in power, depth and complexity and also made a statement for individuality as it was like none other featuring tropical fruit notes that included tangerine, mandarin orange, lemon, kiwi and baked apple with a brown sugar dusting; later on, some honeyed pear and apple notes joined in and the sweetness factor climbed another few degrees; the gold color was deceiving as I expected some advanced notes, but that really did not happen; it was good, but different and a bit too sweet for my preference.
Cheers,
Blake
2008 is on the left in both the glasses and the bottles