Olive Garden Party (Cristal vertical) (Chicago, IL): Perhaps more interesting than good at this point for me. Very ripe and sweet, almost like it was dosed a little too generously. Drinks like a dry Sauternes with some bubbles -- a moderate mushroom note from the age, but plenty of honey and marmalade notes too. With air, a very distinct curry leaf aroma develops. The effervescence is mostly dissipated too. Not really the type of champagne I'd like to drink.
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I love old Cristal and this was no exception. It's not quite at the level of the Tait Rose, but it is certainly delicious. The dosage by this point has totally found itself and it comes across as quite dry and fresh.
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The 1989 Cristal is ripe and full bodied, resembles hot vintages like 1976 with its maturity and lower acidity. Tasted blind – Fully matured profile of apricot, citrus peel and bruised apples. Barely any bubbles left. Leesy texture with chardonnay driven nose with some Pinot Noir red fruits and backbone. I prefer 1988 overall. Drink now. Comte de Tattinger 1976? (88/100)
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Fresh and lively from a 750ml but not really showing much complexity or nuance and therefore a significant notch behind Krug 89 (my benchmark for the vintage). I'm pretty confident that more recent Cristals will become much better wines than this.
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My first time opening a bottle of Cristal. Still a loud pop at opening, with a creamy mouse and bubbles at pour.
Color of the wine is dark amber. Huge contrast between the gold colored label and the liquid inside.
Initially nose was quite tame, but it started to open up over time. Tiny bubbles present at each sip, with amazing flavors from the beginning. Still a bit of youth and energy, with intense vanilla flavors as well. Long finish.
Enjoyed at cellar temperature over 1h - 1,5h.
One of those bottles you'll remember forever and one of the best wines I've ever had. Glad that I have a few more Cristals in the cellar, but unfortunately they are much younger vintages.
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Beautiful. Rich golden color, incredible palate of hazelnut praline, yeast, earth, lemon. The wine oxidated beautifully, with so much tertiary notes that still was not superceeded by this generous acidity in this champagne. So drinkable, almost begs for some foie gras or roasted squash with hazelnuts and brown butter (works pretty well in pasta form).
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Wine Workshop: An evening with Cristal (Atera - 77 Worth Street in NYC): WOTN. Wow was this bottle rocking. It's right in between the more aged versions and the young versions and seems to have everything going on. Apples and pears and caramel and vanilla and just totally balanced. Acid right on so it comes across as fresh and playful. Really lovely.
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From magnum- vibrant bright gold color, ripe nose of orchard fruits, on the palate generous and mature with a luscious dark mousse, a bit larger in scale than usual for Cristal in my experience, fine long citrus driven finish, a bright and sunny vintage that retains Cristal’s usual elegance, beautiful champagne. ****+, now to 2030
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Recent purchase from WW. Explosive scent upon opening, baked apricot and petrol. It settled down soon but no doubt about the strong note of sherry. While a bit of oxidation can add welcome complexity, this was progressively over-the-top. Despite that, there was excellent fruit underneath. And with champagne, you can usually tell how it had been stored and due to the excellent froth and mousse I was confident it was well cared for. Far from the usual easy and gentle flavors of young Cristal. I believe the performance was secondary to this rather blowsy vintage.
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Another fun dinner of favorites (Amali in NYC): From two mags. This was just a wonderful champagne. The bubbles are a bit more muted and at this point there's more like a hint of them. It's caramel and just the lightest touch of oxidation which I quite like. Very tasty. Had quite a few glasses to start the evening.
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Acker Auction - June 2018 (Laduree NYC W Broadway): From a magnum. Opened most of the day by the time we tried, but it was just awesome. As one person put it 'possibly the best champagne I've ever had'. This was a touch oxidized but then like caramel in a glass. Great acidity. Some sweet. Maybe even a hint of mint. Very interesting and basically delicious.
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Wirkt zarter, fragiler als der 90er, dafür aber auch präziser und kompakter. Weniger Nußnoten. Sehr ausgewogen. Heute auf dem Höhepunkt. Peter Crawford neben mir war total aus dem Häuschen und fand ihn stärker als ich. 95/100
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Taste: Red-yellow fruits, baked apples with a small hint of dark pear. An overall subtle tons of citric acid with a medium, however, the right end tone matte lemon and oak. Semibold in structure.
Comment: The taste is reminiscent of a cautious 96'a. Subtle background of oak and end tone of lemon.
Comparing to 1990 tasted side by side, 89 is more austere, fine but limited bubbles. I like the sharper edges, v ripe pear, apple, and tasted almost like scotch or fully matured burgundy white.
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I really enjoyed this wine, dense, smooth, and structured. Wonderful deep core of red like fruits with a slight nutty edge that added complexity to this well integrated wine. Very much alive and in a sea of Chamoagne tonight really stood out and impressed. Very much alive. Thanks David B!
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Holiday Champagne Dinner (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL): Ripe apple, some baked apple. Very good weight and concentration, but with moderate acidity and a finish that is getting slightly tired. Not quite as vibrant as when tasted from magnum a few years back.
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Terrific nose of peaches and cream. Some crackling sulphur matchstick and smoke. Nice minerals. Bruised and mature green apple. Brioche / yeast is medium. Great spot for drinking right now - mature but still fresh and lively. Brioche gets bigger at the end, some caramel popcorn. Great vibrancy in a mature wine.
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åpnet med bra popp, mye futt. På duft, tørket aprikos, melkesjokolade, rå sopp, marsipan, tørr skogbunn, masse mousse, sur/søt aprikosdrops, honning, mye primærfrukt, men med startende modningskompleksitet, medium pluss fylde, konsentrasjon og syre. Trenger noe mer tid, for å bygge på seg enda mer vekt og kompleksitet. 2020-2040
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Very developed, maroon orange color with pale mahogany overtones. It's quite obvious this wine has seen some age. The nose is very developed and extremely complex with layered aromas of assorted roasted nuts, some leesy yeast character, a little bit of honey, tangy sherried notes of Amontillado, light caramel tones, a sweet hint of mocha and a touch of browned butter. The wine is dry, moderately full-bodied and pretty concentrated, even slightly weighty on the palate. There are complex and very intense flavors of chopped hazelnuts, tertiary syrupy notes of caramel and treacle, some toasty autolysis, light bready tones, a little bit of dried stone fruits and pear slices, a hint of honeycomb and a touch of mocha. The lively, high acidity lends great intensity, freshness and sense of structure to the wine. The mousse feels very soft, mellow and creamy. The finish is very long, complex and quite tertiary with complex flavors of Russian candy, juicy citrus fruits, slivered almonds, some steely minerality, a little bit of Asian spices, a hint of dried apricots and a touch of buttered toast.
A beautifully complex, very developed and quite tertiary Cristal that seems quite evolved for its age - 1989 is considered to be one of the great Champagne vintages of the recent past, but it is hard to see this wine developing anywhere from here but down. On the contrary, I'd say it's best to drink this wine soon, as it feels the wine is on its last years. However, there's always the possibility of bottle variation and it's always possible that this wine hasn't held up particularly well in comparison to some others. Nevertheless, this is a harmonious and immensely enjoyable Champagne by any standards and a great example of Cristal at its peak.
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Big Champagne Tasting of old Champagnes 5th best CHampagne in the flight (out of 6)
maturated signs, a little too much oxidation signs, fine perlage, after getting time and air getting better, elegant, nice length, nuts, almonds, marzipan in the middle long finish, for me at the peak, the acidity I guess will be too weak to carry him over one more decade
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Wines Tasted at HDH Auction (Tru - Chicago IL): From magnum. A superbly impressive 1989, with lots of very ripe apple aromas and flavors (no surprise for the vintage) with lots of acidity and freshness (surprise!). Very long and texturally interesting through long finish.
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HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): From magnum. Cheesy and meaty and funky on the nose. The palate has a ton of acidic cut. Very attractive and rich and fat. Painfully intense on the palate; definitely on the ripe side but without ever feeling heavy. Long, long finish.
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HDH Auction (Tru - Chicago, IL): Super fresh champagne. Layers of florals and orchard fruit notes on the nose. I was just blown away with how firm, fresh and exciting the palate was here. Lots of freshly squeezed citrus nose, with a subtle funky earthy note. This is what champagne should taste like.
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From 3.0L. This was in perfect shape, and was spectacular. I've generally thought the 89 Cristal was decent, but not great by any means, but this double mag was a stunner. Over performed and loved by all.
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Nice light tea color, nose still very fresh with citrus fruit and caramel. V decent palate with good acidity and fine bubbles, only slightly let down by the rather short finish.
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From a pristine looking bottle, this wine looked lovely with a light yellow color and a very fine mousse. The low+ intensity nose featured apples, white stone, yeast, and some almonds.
This wine was a bit soft at first and I wondered if this was all we would see. Fortunately, it firmed up nicely after about 15 to 20 minutes of air. The combination of the very fine bubbles, the firm acidity, and the fruit was impressive. So was the length which was, in turn, fruity and yet so dry.
This seems like it has entered its drinking window. While there is no rush, I also see no reason to wait. An excellent Champagne.
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Dinner at Veritas with Bruce F. Stunning. Still a baby but this is what Champagne is all about. If you've got 6, drink one this year and lay the rest down.
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Tuesday, November 09, 2004 A golden yellow color. Coconut, yeast, richly buttered biscuits and maybe, just maybe, a tad bit of strawberry. Despite the age, the mousse was lively and relatively long lived. The bubbles provided a continuous stream of beads throughout dinner. Excellent mouthfeel and weight - truly a full bodied wine. Nevertheless, the flavors were balanced and feminine. In Riedel sommelier vintage flutes. (The first time I’ve ever carted glassware into a restaurant.) Roasted veal ribs with a cracked pepper coating. This was not the best pairing, but it worked well. The wine stood up well to the dish. A beautiful wine for a beautiful lady.
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Consumed in hotel room at the Venetian in Las Vegas, brought from my personal cellar. Light gold with a brisk bead of tiny bubbles. Yeasty, toasty nose with a hint of nuttiness and a slight brandy-like overtone. Brisk spritz on palate, creating a creamy texture. Complex flavors similar to nose. Long finish. Outstanding but the fruit is fading compared with previous tasting 6/99.
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A very disappointing bottle. Light color, good mousse. Doesn’t seem like a storage problem. Delicate attractive scent. But weak, short, fades as soon as it arrives.
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Tasted at Brasserie with Keith and Norma Turner (going away dinner). Tiny, brisk bead. Intense yeasty, complex nose and palate. Incredible! This is the best champagne that I have tasted to date. Phenomenal with tuna tartar.
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Good color. Mild mousse, more like a trickle. Pleasant scent of dough and ginger. Medium weight. Perfect amount of acidity. Pinot Noir shows. Wonderful balance. Outstanding.
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Superb Champagne at age nine. Medium mousse. Big toasty spicy nose, confirmed on the palate. Perfect balance of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Cannot possibly improve. A genuine masterpiece.
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Fabulous Champagne. Enjoyed with lobster in tomato broth at home for NYE. Excellent mousse, not gassy. Slightly gold color. Delicate vanilla biscuity nose. Marvelous texture, weight, flavor. Presumably at peak. Elegant. Not too light, too heavy, too yeasty. Epitome of Cristal.
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Champagne Tasting (Lafayette, Ca.): Lots of mousse, very bright, crisp, medium/big body, rich fruit, touch simple, medium amount of acid, needs time, lots of perfume on the nose and palate, medium/long finish, lovely aftertaste. My #3 and Group #7
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Champagne Tasting 1996 (Lafayette, Ca.): Soapy and gummy on the nose, sweet, fruity wine on the palate, improved during the tasting, lots of fruit but delicate, elegant, big body, nice finish. My #3 and Group #3. $90 retail.
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Another winner. Big bright open bouquet. Toasty, not yeasty. Power with elegance, a Cristal speciality. Very ripe Pinot character, verging on blowsy for Cristal, but firm acidity rescues it. Evolution should be interesting.
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12/30/2023 - jhngo Likes this wine: 97 Points
Out of 3L was insanely fresh alive. Bubbles were present and alive. Just so youthful. Tasted like an 02 or more recent vintage.
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3/30/2023 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Olive Garden Party (Cristal vertical) (Chicago, IL): Perhaps more interesting than good at this point for me. Very ripe and sweet, almost like it was dosed a little too generously. Drinks like a dry Sauternes with some bubbles -- a moderate mushroom note from the age, but plenty of honey and marmalade notes too. With air, a very distinct curry leaf aroma develops. The effervescence is mostly dissipated too. Not really the type of champagne I'd like to drink.
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12/25/2021 - amflinn wrote: flawed
Spoiled. A friend's bottle which was apparently not stored correctly. Undrinkable.
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12/24/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
I love old Cristal and this was no exception. It's not quite at the level of the Tait Rose, but it is certainly delicious. The dosage by this point has totally found itself and it comes across as quite dry and fresh.
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8/28/2021 - ym94116 wrote: flawed
Flat, no fizz; no pop on the cork; tasted like cider; finished bottle bc it was Cristal ...
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12/26/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Maturing but still nicely forward. Would tend to drink most of these in 750 over the next few years.
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9/29/2020 - Jammy Wine wrote: 88 Points
The 1989 Cristal is ripe and full bodied, resembles hot vintages like 1976 with its maturity and lower acidity. Tasted blind – Fully matured profile of apricot, citrus peel and bruised apples. Barely any bubbles left. Leesy texture with chardonnay driven nose with some Pinot Noir red fruits and backbone. I prefer 1988 overall. Drink now. Comte de Tattinger 1976? (88/100)
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6/8/2020 - ubercuvee wrote: 93 Points
Fresh and lively from a 750ml but not really showing much complexity or nuance and therefore a significant notch behind Krug 89 (my benchmark for the vintage). I'm pretty confident that more recent Cristals will become much better wines than this.
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11/16/2019 - SFAntti Likes this wine: 99 Points
My first time opening a bottle of Cristal. Still a loud pop at opening, with a creamy mouse and bubbles at pour.
Color of the wine is dark amber. Huge contrast between the gold colored label and the liquid inside.
Initially nose was quite tame, but it started to open up over time. Tiny bubbles present at each sip, with amazing flavors from the beginning. Still a bit of youth and energy, with intense vanilla flavors as well. Long finish.
Enjoyed at cellar temperature over 1h - 1,5h.
One of those bottles you'll remember forever and one of the best wines I've ever had. Glad that I have a few more Cristals in the cellar, but unfortunately they are much younger vintages.
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9/7/2019 - BradE wrote:
From magnum, and simply sublime. Easily the best example of this wine I've experienced.
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2/16/2019 - ap70 wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful. Rich golden color, incredible palate of hazelnut praline, yeast, earth, lemon. The wine oxidated beautifully, with so much tertiary notes that still was not superceeded by this generous acidity in this champagne. So drinkable, almost begs for some foie gras or roasted squash with hazelnuts and brown butter (works pretty well in pasta form).
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12/4/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Workshop: An evening with Cristal (Atera - 77 Worth Street in NYC): WOTN. Wow was this bottle rocking. It's right in between the more aged versions and the young versions and seems to have everything going on. Apples and pears and caramel and vanilla and just totally balanced. Acid right on so it comes across as fresh and playful. Really lovely.
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10/12/2018 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
From magnum- vibrant bright gold color, ripe nose of orchard fruits, on the palate generous and mature with a luscious dark mousse, a bit larger in scale than usual for Cristal in my experience, fine long citrus driven finish, a bright and sunny vintage that retains Cristal’s usual elegance, beautiful champagne. ****+, now to 2030
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9/1/2018 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Ample fruit and acidity. From magnum.
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7/28/2018 - sdr wrote: 88 Points
Recent purchase from WW. Explosive scent upon opening, baked apricot and petrol. It settled down soon but no doubt about the strong note of sherry. While a bit of oxidation can add welcome complexity, this was progressively over-the-top. Despite that, there was excellent fruit underneath. And with champagne, you can usually tell how it had been stored and due to the excellent froth and mousse I was confident it was well cared for. Far from the usual easy and gentle flavors of young Cristal. I believe the performance was secondary to this rather blowsy vintage.
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7/20/2018 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Another fun dinner of favorites (Amali in NYC): From two mags. This was just a wonderful champagne. The bubbles are a bit more muted and at this point there's more like a hint of them. It's caramel and just the lightest touch of oxidation which I quite like. Very tasty. Had quite a few glasses to start the evening.
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6/20/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Acker Auction - June 2018 (Laduree NYC W Broadway): From a magnum. Opened most of the day by the time we tried, but it was just awesome. As one person put it 'possibly the best champagne I've ever had'. This was a touch oxidized but then like caramel in a glass. Great acidity. Some sweet. Maybe even a hint of mint. Very interesting and basically delicious.
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12/11/2017 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wirkt zarter, fragiler als der 90er, dafür aber auch präziser und kompakter. Weniger Nußnoten. Sehr ausgewogen. Heute auf dem Höhepunkt. Peter Crawford neben mir war total aus dem Häuschen und fand ihn stärker als ich. 95/100
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3/24/2017 - jhngo Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wow freshest bottle of champagne I've had. Tight clean tons of acid still very youthful.
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10/15/2016 - BradE wrote:
Good bottle, in good shape.
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3/12/2016 - StiGGe Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose: Plums, light bread and peach.
Taste: Red-yellow fruits, baked apples with a small hint of dark pear. An overall subtle tons of citric acid with a medium, however, the right end tone matte lemon and oak. Semibold in structure.
Comment: The taste is reminiscent of a cautious 96'a. Subtle background of oak and end tone of lemon.
https://champagnesamlingen.wordpress.com/2016/03/12/cristal-1989/
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1/25/2016 - conviction buy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Comparing to 1990 tasted side by side, 89 is more austere, fine but limited bubbles. I like the sharper edges, v ripe pear, apple, and tasted almost like scotch or fully matured burgundy white.
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12/28/2015 - KenK Likes this wine: 95 Points
I really enjoyed this wine, dense, smooth, and structured. Wonderful deep core of red like fruits with a slight nutty edge that added complexity to this well integrated wine. Very much alive and in a sea of Chamoagne tonight really stood out and impressed. Very much alive. Thanks David B!
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12/27/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Holiday Champagne Dinner (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL): Ripe apple, some baked apple. Very good weight and concentration, but with moderate acidity and a finish that is getting slightly tired. Not quite as vibrant as when tasted from magnum a few years back.
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12/21/2015 - Pacalet Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still lively and singing like last time, but no match when drunk side by side with the simply awesome 88. Lighter more delicate and less intense.
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11/12/2015 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
Terrific nose of peaches and cream. Some crackling sulphur matchstick and smoke. Nice minerals. Bruised and mature green apple. Brioche / yeast is medium. Great spot for drinking right now - mature but still fresh and lively. Brioche gets bigger at the end, some caramel popcorn. Great vibrancy in a mature wine.
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11/8/2015 - Cinsault86 wrote: 94 Points
åpnet med bra popp, mye futt. På duft, tørket aprikos, melkesjokolade, rå sopp, marsipan, tørr skogbunn, masse mousse, sur/søt aprikosdrops, honning, mye primærfrukt, men med startende modningskompleksitet, medium pluss fylde, konsentrasjon og syre. Trenger noe mer tid, for å bygge på seg enda mer vekt og kompleksitet. 2020-2040
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8/9/2015 - forceberry wrote: 96 Points
Very developed, maroon orange color with pale mahogany overtones. It's quite obvious this wine has seen some age. The nose is very developed and extremely complex with layered aromas of assorted roasted nuts, some leesy yeast character, a little bit of honey, tangy sherried notes of Amontillado, light caramel tones, a sweet hint of mocha and a touch of browned butter. The wine is dry, moderately full-bodied and pretty concentrated, even slightly weighty on the palate. There are complex and very intense flavors of chopped hazelnuts, tertiary syrupy notes of caramel and treacle, some toasty autolysis, light bready tones, a little bit of dried stone fruits and pear slices, a hint of honeycomb and a touch of mocha. The lively, high acidity lends great intensity, freshness and sense of structure to the wine. The mousse feels very soft, mellow and creamy. The finish is very long, complex and quite tertiary with complex flavors of Russian candy, juicy citrus fruits, slivered almonds, some steely minerality, a little bit of Asian spices, a hint of dried apricots and a touch of buttered toast.
A beautifully complex, very developed and quite tertiary Cristal that seems quite evolved for its age - 1989 is considered to be one of the great Champagne vintages of the recent past, but it is hard to see this wine developing anywhere from here but down. On the contrary, I'd say it's best to drink this wine soon, as it feels the wine is on its last years. However, there's always the possibility of bottle variation and it's always possible that this wine hasn't held up particularly well in comparison to some others. Nevertheless, this is a harmonious and immensely enjoyable Champagne by any standards and a great example of Cristal at its peak.
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10/18/2014 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
From magnum. Expressive with ripe fruit and rounded acid but was one level below the depth of the older oenotheques served alongside.
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9/21/2014 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 94 Points
Big Champagne Tasting of old Champagnes
5th best CHampagne in the flight (out of 6)
maturated signs, a little too much oxidation signs, fine perlage, after getting time and air getting better, elegant, nice length, nuts, almonds, marzipan in the middle long finish, for me at the peak, the acidity I guess will be too weak to carry him over one more decade
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6/10/2014 - BradE wrote:
A good bottle of 89 which was liked by all.
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2/8/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Wines Tasted at HDH Auction (Tru - Chicago IL): From magnum. A superbly impressive 1989, with lots of very ripe apple aromas and flavors (no surprise for the vintage) with lots of acidity and freshness (surprise!). Very long and texturally interesting through long finish.
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2/8/2014 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): From magnum. Cheesy and meaty and funky on the nose. The palate has a ton of acidic cut. Very attractive and rich and fat. Painfully intense on the palate; definitely on the ripe side but without ever feeling heavy. Long, long finish.
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2/8/2014 - tooch wrote: 95 Points
HDH Auction (Tru - Chicago, IL): Super fresh champagne. Layers of florals and orchard fruit notes on the nose. I was just blown away with how firm, fresh and exciting the palate was here. Lots of freshly squeezed citrus nose, with a subtle funky earthy note. This is what champagne should taste like.
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6/8/2013 - BradE wrote:
From 3.0L. This was in perfect shape, and was spectacular. I've generally thought the 89 Cristal was decent, but not great by any means, but this double mag was a stunner. Over performed and loved by all.
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5/17/2012 - Eros Coniglio wrote: 94 Points
Lots of bubbles.
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4/20/2012 - BradE wrote:
For me this isn't a rock star vintage of Cristal, but its a very good one. Great mag.
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4/14/2012 - Pacalet wrote: 93 Points
Nice light tea color, nose still very fresh with citrus fruit and caramel. V decent palate with good acidity and fine bubbles, only slightly let down by the rather short finish.
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3/28/2012 - BradE wrote:
Not a perfect bottle, but a decent drink.
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12/31/2011 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
From a pristine looking bottle, this wine looked lovely with a light yellow color and a very fine mousse. The low+ intensity nose featured apples, white stone, yeast, and some almonds.
This wine was a bit soft at first and I wondered if this was all we would see. Fortunately, it firmed up nicely after about 15 to 20 minutes of air. The combination of the very fine bubbles, the firm acidity, and the fruit was impressive. So was the length which was, in turn, fruity and yet so dry.
This seems like it has entered its drinking window. While there is no rush, I also see no reason to wait. An excellent Champagne.
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10/8/2011 - Atreyu wrote: flawed
Just about drinkable, but this must have seen a bit too much fresh air for it's own good.
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12/25/2009 - Tartiflette wrote: 86 Points
Hardly any bobbles. Not defective but just not up to speed!!!
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9/6/2008 - G SQUARED wrote: 98 Points
Dinner at Veritas with Bruce F. Stunning. Still a baby but this is what Champagne is all about. If you've got 6, drink one this year and lay the rest down.
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12/8/2007 - shine wrote: 97 Points
Wonderful, yeasty smooth with lots of bubbles
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11/9/2004 - timewithwine wrote:
Tuesday, November 09, 2004 A golden yellow color. Coconut, yeast, richly buttered biscuits and maybe, just maybe, a tad bit of strawberry. Despite the age, the mousse was lively and relatively long lived. The bubbles provided a continuous stream of beads throughout dinner. Excellent mouthfeel and weight - truly a full bodied wine. Nevertheless, the flavors were balanced and feminine. In Riedel sommelier vintage flutes. (The first time I’ve ever carted glassware into a restaurant.) Roasted veal ribs with a cracked pepper coating. This was not the best pairing, but it worked well. The wine stood up well to the dish. A beautiful wine for a beautiful lady.
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9/1/2002 - Henman wrote:
Mineral nose.Dry palate showing mineral and hints of butter.
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6/9/2001 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 93 Points
Consumed in hotel room at the Venetian in Las Vegas, brought from my personal cellar. Light gold with a brisk bead of tiny bubbles. Yeasty, toasty nose with a hint of nuttiness and a slight brandy-like overtone. Brisk spritz on palate, creating a creamy texture. Complex flavors similar to nose. Long finish. Outstanding but the fruit is fading compared with previous tasting 6/99.
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2/1/2000 - sdr Does not like this wine: 83 Points
A very disappointing bottle. Light color, good mousse. Doesn’t seem like a storage problem. Delicate attractive scent. But weak, short, fades as soon as it arrives.
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6/30/1999 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 99 Points
Tasted at Brasserie with Keith and Norma Turner (going away dinner). Tiny, brisk bead. Intense yeasty, complex nose and palate. Incredible! This is the best champagne that I have tasted to date. Phenomenal with tuna tartar.
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1/1/1999 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good color. Mild mousse, more like a trickle. Pleasant scent of dough and ginger. Medium weight. Perfect amount of acidity. Pinot Noir shows. Wonderful balance. Outstanding.
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12/1/1998 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Superb Champagne at age nine. Medium mousse. Big toasty spicy nose, confirmed on the palate. Perfect balance of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Cannot possibly improve. A genuine masterpiece.
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5/1/1998 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Brilliant. Light on its feet. Almost too delicate but plenty of toasty wheat flavor. Fragrant for Champagne. Pin-point stream. Superb balance.
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12/31/1997 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Fabulous Champagne. Enjoyed with lobster in tomato broth at home for NYE. Excellent mousse, not gassy. Slightly gold color. Delicate vanilla biscuity nose. Marvelous texture, weight, flavor. Presumably at peak. Elegant. Not too light, too heavy, too yeasty. Epitome of Cristal.
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12/5/1996 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 94 Points
Champagne Tasting (Lafayette, Ca.): Lots of mousse, very bright, crisp, medium/big body, rich fruit, touch simple, medium amount of acid, needs time, lots of perfume on the nose and palate, medium/long finish, lovely aftertaste. My #3 and Group #7
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11/21/1996 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Champagne Tasting 1996 (Lafayette, Ca.): Soapy and gummy on the nose, sweet, fruity wine on the palate, improved during the tasting, lots of fruit but delicate, elegant, big body, nice finish. My #3 and Group #3. $90 retail.
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1/1/1986 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Another winner. Big bright open bouquet. Toasty, not yeasty. Power with elegance, a Cristal speciality. Very ripe Pinot character, verging on blowsy for Cristal, but firm acidity rescues it. Evolution should be interesting.
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