Region: Champagne
Variety: Pinot Noir & Chardonnay (58% PN / 42% CH)
Vintage: 2016
Country: France
The Wine
From 32 lieux-dits across Verzenay, Verzy, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Aÿ, Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant. 31% of the wines were aged in oak; no malolactic fermentation; dosage 7 g/L. Harvested 15 Sept–1 Oct 2016. A vivid, tensile Cristal that marries ripe Pinot fruit to incisive chalk-driven cut.
Cellared Says
Laser-precise yet silken—think preserved lemon, peach skin and acacia over river-stone crunch. 2016 is a pure, graceful Cristal that will unfurl for decades. Dosage lower than previous releases and better for it. Organic. Only 12 six packs in Country and we have 3.
Reviews
The 2016 Cristal is a taut, incisive rendition of this benchmark bottling, unwinding in the glass with youthfully reserved aromas of citrus oil, white flowers, wet stones and subtle hints of sweet, buttery pastry. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and racy, it's almost as electric as the brilliant 2013, with serious concentration, a pure core of fruit, chalky structuring dry extract and a long, intensely mineral finish. Given its tightly wound profile, my advice is to forget it in the cellar for a few years and work on the more open, outgoing 2014 in the meantime. 2026 - 2055
97 pts – William Kelley (Wine Advocate)
The 2016 Cristal is a blend of 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay with 7 grams per liter of dosage. No malo-lactic was performed here, and 31% of the base wines were aged in French oak. The nose begins with bright red berry notes of fresh raspberries and strawberries before opening out to a complex undercurrent of saffron, white chocolate, talc, baker’s yeast, and emerging wafts of citron blossom and pear tart. The palate is very dry and spicy, not needing even a touch more sweetness thanks to the abundance of ripe berry and citrus flavors, delivering beautifully knit acidity and typically tiny, persistent bubbles. It finishes with notes of effervescent chalkiness and saffron flowers, leaving you reaching for another sip."
98+ Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW The Wine Independent
"The 2016 Champagne Cristal is transparent and complex, with lovely aromas of fresh flowers. Medium-bodied and chiseled, with great texture, well-defined saltiness, and delicate notes of shortbread, it’s a shimmering and electric wine with fantastic detail. It has a concentrated, chalky profile and is flush with crushed stones. It will demand some patience, but this is a fantastic wine in this vintage for Cristal. Bravo."
98 pts – Jeb Dunnuck
Region: Champagne
Variety: Pinot Noir & Chardonnay (58% PN / 42% CH)
Vintage: 2016
Country: France
The Wine
From 32 lieux-dits across Verzenay, Verzy, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Aÿ, Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant. 31% of the wines were aged in oak; no malolactic fermentation; dosage 7 g/L. Harvested 15 Sept–1 Oct 2016. A vivid, tensile Cristal that marries ripe Pinot fruit to incisive chalk-driven cut.
Cellared Says
Laser-precise yet silken—think preserved lemon, peach skin and acacia over river-stone crunch. 2016 is a pure, graceful Cristal that will unfurl for decades. Dosage lower than previous releases and better for it. Organic. Only 12 six packs in Country and we have 3.
Reviews
The 2016 Cristal is a taut, incisive rendition of this benchmark bottling, unwinding in the glass with youthfully reserved aromas of citrus oil, white flowers, wet stones and subtle hints of sweet, buttery pastry. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and racy, it's almost as electric as the brilliant 2013, with serious concentration, a pure core of fruit, chalky structuring dry extract and a long, intensely mineral finish. Given its tightly wound profile, my advice is to forget it in the cellar for a few years and work on the more open, outgoing 2014 in the meantime. 2026 - 2055
97 pts – William Kelley (Wine Advocate)
The 2016 Cristal is a blend of 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay with 7 grams per liter of dosage. No malo-lactic was performed here, and 31% of the base wines were aged in French oak. The nose begins with bright red berry notes of fresh raspberries and strawberries before opening out to a complex undercurrent of saffron, white chocolate, talc, baker’s yeast, and emerging wafts of citron blossom and pear tart. The palate is very dry and spicy, not needing even a touch more sweetness thanks to the abundance of ripe berry and citrus flavors, delivering beautifully knit acidity and typically tiny, persistent bubbles. It finishes with notes of effervescent chalkiness and saffron flowers, leaving you reaching for another sip."
98+ Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW The Wine Independent
"The 2016 Champagne Cristal is transparent and complex, with lovely aromas of fresh flowers. Medium-bodied and chiseled, with great texture, well-defined saltiness, and delicate notes of shortbread, it’s a shimmering and electric wine with fantastic detail. It has a concentrated, chalky profile and is flush with crushed stones. It will demand some patience, but this is a fantastic wine in this vintage for Cristal. Bravo."
98 pts – Jeb Dunnuck
