Despite the very firm cork and the loud pop, there were no bubbles in the juice beyond the first few seconds. Classic old Cristal. Massive orange peel, cinnamon and caramel, almost sweet despite the firm acidity. It’s definitely interesting but becomes tiring after the first glass. I wonder if the Vinotheque version tastes fresher.
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It has been some time since I've had a Cristal and the aged ones really are special. This was maybe a bit more oxidized than I would have expected it to be and it's definitely a different style than what's 'en vogue' at the moment mostly because there is a fairly reasonable dosage. That reasonable dosage though seems to contribute to the aged champagne notes and it ends up being really delicious. Sad that we don't have more but nice to celebrate a friend.
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A fully mature champagne that has a very inviting nose of honey, melon, brioche, lemon, vanilla, nuttiness, oxidative and slightly stone fruit. Palate is harmonious, elegance and juicy. Simply beautiful! One of my favourite champagne!
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Deeply mature but not quite over the edge. Active mousse. A bit of caramel lends complexity to the pit fruit flavors. Arguably a trifle low in acidity. But satisfying and not tiring to finish the bottle. Drink up though.
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Deep slightly oxidised colour, nose also expressing oxidised notes but the mousse still had good energy and the palate was still fresh and supported by a beautifully fine and elegant finish. A good experience but this bottle has slipped past its peak.
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1995 slips slowly towards the tertiary sector and this champagne demonstrates it.
The nose brings beautiful scents of honey and candied apricot.
The excitement has subsided. The palate heads for pastry, nut and apricot aromas. It's enveloping and still very energetic with an underlying tension that brings a nice balance to a totally loose juice that is fully expressed. Complex and deep at the same time, everything fits perfectly, starting with this oxidative tip.
Nice explosive finish on salted butter caramel which gives an admirable length to this champagne. It’s just excellent and at its peak.
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Fully mature without a doubt and maybe a bit past it’s best. Compared to the 21st century examples this night the ‘95 is deeper, richer, more evolved, more complex and more interesting. On the edgy side of fruit, more burnt apricot than fresh peach. Good acidity, good mousse yet just slightly less energy than previous bottles.
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Slightly darker colour than the 96 but seemed correct for the vintage. Quite a meaty profile, some honeyed development but overall still had a fair amount of rich primary fruit. Didn’t compare well to the 96 which was excellent; some interesting read across to the profile of the 95 Krug ****
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1995 Vintage Champagne horizontal (Medlar (London)): Not a perfect bottle and visually quite brown. Still hinting at its potential for perfectly kept bottles. Nutty, golden full bodied with a touch of oak. However not quite repeating the strong performance on the white category from 02 and 08 where it both times won the top spot. One might only wonder what a perfect bottle could have done. However the Cristal rose came to the rescue to defend the Roederer integrity.
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Cristal 1995. Modne epler, krydder, toffee, søtt bakverk i retning eplekake. Moden på duft med god intensitet. Nydelig munnfølelse med sylskarp friskhet. Moden i frukten med stor konsentrasjon. Vakker vin med ypperlig balanse. Tåler ikke all verdens tid i glasset. Nydelig syre og mineralitet i finish. Sitter meget lenge. Fantastisk vin. Man bør begynne å tenke på å drikke disse snart. 95p Var igjen litt i flasken som jeg smakte noen timer senere - hadde holdt seg forbausende bra.
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Special Burgundy Dinner (DC/Silver Spring MD): Very similar to my January note. This bottle seemed younger and fresher than the previous bottle I tried. The provenance on this bottle was much better than the previous one, so it could be that or just normal bottle variation. More honeyed as it sat with less oxidative and mature notes. Still a great wine!
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From magnum. Immediately, much more giving and open than the 95 krug and DP (also both from mags) served alongside it. Lovely notes of golden honey. The favourite of the crowd tonight.
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Super powerful nose. Lemon, melon, butterscotch, vanilla, light brioche. Mouthwatering strong, strong acidity, but balanced with fruit and medium body. Changed alot as it opened from more expansive honey, sugarcane, butterscotch, to more focused with melon, caramel and sugar syrup. Still seems pretty young. No real hurry. For those that like older champagnes, there is still upside for 10-15 yrs.
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Wie immer spannend. Der ewige Kampf 95 gegen 96. Wenn man es verallgemeinern will: In der Breite ist der ältere Jahrgang der stärkere, in der Spitze hat der legendäre, aber oftmals überwertete 1996er die Nase vorn. Wenn man sich nicht sicher ist, würde ich 1995 bestellen. Heute phantastisch mit viel Brioche, Toast, Hefe, Nuß und im Finish trotzdem Zitrus. Aber der Gegner war zu stark. Tolle 96 Punkte
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Dark yellow color. Most advanced 95 I have seen. Orange, butterscotch, carmel, toast. Nice complexity. This was good but as I have experienced in the past just outclassed by Dom P. The Cristal was definitely sweeter than the DP.
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The ‘95 Cristal is in a fine state of evolution now. Lively, aromatic and fruity with the complexity of maturity. Not as bright as the ‘96, seemingly more than one year older and fully ready. No hint of sweetness that Cristal sometimes has. Can it develop even further without losing its charm?
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Château Palmer Vertical: Fully mature and ready, the '95 Cristal is warm and inviting. Gingery and fruity, very slightly low acidity, easy to drink. Not at all sweet or cloying.
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Pnp, color is medium golden with fine bubbles. Fresh nose of ripe fruits like peach, pear and apple. Rather concentrated with tingy acidity, spicy from mid palate and some mineral too. Finish is long, shall continue to evolve given the concentration, alas this is the last bt....
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Wine Gang 'Ultimate Champagne' (Basement, 67 Pall Mall): Again, a slight cheesiness, but richer and rounder underneath. Opens up to a richer nose too. Quite broad. Almost a little coarse. Lacks the creamy, walnut, coffee development of the 90 at the same age. Still, depth and interest but lacks some verve and finesse. ****
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Med golden, endless stream of fine bubbles, nose of ripe pear, apple, bit nutty and smoke. Zesty acidic in mouth immediately followed by ripe apple and pear, and spicy at finish, there is good structure. And still appear quite young, while the 1990 is more round and supple, this should continue to evolve.
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Lovely full-bodied style with rich lemony fruit and lovely brioche and yeast flavors. Very good intensity and quite open knit and giving with some oxidized notes. This is deep and satisfying and a bit on the sweeter side of dry champagne with good complexity on the finish. Mature and ready and simply lacking the crisp focus and acids of the '96 which will obviously last a good deal longer than this.
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Litt tilbakeholden nese, med noen elementer av jord. Flott frukt med litt kjøtt på beina. Flott konsentrasjon og den gir en elegant og frodig munnfølelse. Sitter lenge.
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Rich nose full of ripe apples and brioche, honey and hints of vanilla. Again red ripe apples on the palate,nuts,vanilla and even licorice, long finish.
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From magnum this is drinking beautifully right now. It has plenty of brioche and notes of honey, guava, rockmelon and pure white peach. It is intense, full and creamy with fine bead and a big lick of minerality drying off the long finish.
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Rich nose of apple jam, orange rind, shellfish, cookies and marzipan. Dry but rich on the quite full bodied palate with decent moussé, animating acidity, almondy roundness and bitter citrus. Lengthy. Quite nice effort, but I've never been a fan of this stuff. Needs more age to become interesting.
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Forth coming citrus lime grapefruit fragrant when opened, surprisingly crisp and fresh for its age. No notable toastiness or nuttiness at first. Honey aroma began to develop shortly after poured. Beautiful consistent mousse. Apple and citrus on the palate. Decent length with nice creamy texture balanced by good acidity. Nutty flavour started to develop after a longer while. Slightly on the linear side, but well balanced and beautiful nonetheless.
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Poured from magnum and quite brilliant. It has some toasty development traits along with the faintest whiff of white mushroom. Incredibly fresh and energetic with enticing floral notes and plenty of green apple and pure white peach flavours. It is rich and creamy with minerally precision.
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Standard Cristal. Some oxidation, darker color. Hazelnut, candied almonds, honey, citrus zest. Always a "darker" profile, in my view. This is still young but it was overshadowed by the Salon 96, which we tasted alongside. It felt much older even though it was only a year older. Still, a very good wine.
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This Cristal seems to have become less sweet and more intense. It's all about the citrus, lemon, lime and even grapefruit, not the usual peach. No detectable yeast. Perfectly mature, great shower of tiny bubbles, very good length. Terrific match for the spiny lobster at Area 31. Wonderful drink, but a bit too monolithic for great.
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Easy, friendly, warm, inviting champagne. The door is open as soon as you remove the cork and there's no change over the next 2 hours. Pears, peaches, white flowers. Nicely balanced with slightly low acidity. Delicious now, no point in waiting any longer.
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This is a stunning wine and while it's the 2nd best Cristal I've had, it has so much time to improve. The 1990 is still my favorite. This is starting to pick up some of the depth and complexity that these gain with age but isn't quite there yet. Nutty, floral, and creamy. This is both elegant and structured. Made for the long haul.
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The kick-off wine at Palme d'Or for BWE 2008. Quite different than many of the previous examples, this one was definitely dry and had a distinctive, oddly attractive earthy note. Still delicate in that Cristal way though, and with more length and more interest; it's a winner.
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This was brought to Cafe Boulud by the Cataldos and what a great way to start. I am starting to recognize the distinct Cristal style which I like very much but I can see how others do not. This bottle not at all sweet, but the typical delicacy and light citrus flavors are delicious but not profound. Still, there is an underlying complexity unique to Cristal. I'm glad the hip hop Hollywood crowd has moved on to other drinks so maybe there will be a bit more for the rest of us.
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What a surprise - instead of the usual borderline sweet if irresistible peach concoction, this one was perfectly dry and very young. No champagne has tinier bubbles than Cristal so the mousse is especially attractive to the eye. Rather shy and indestinct on the nose but there's real flavor authority once it hits your tongue and a terrific finish, too. This is clearly great and serious stuff, as it should be.
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Seriously fabulous champagne, just a few years too young perhaps for perfection. No hint at all of excess sweetness, just a kaleidoscopic display of very fresh citric fruit with a welcome hint of ginger. Lots of tiny prickles to tickle the tongue. It seems like the chardonnay is dominating the taste profile just now. Delicate yet authoritative. Really stylish, individual, exciting. This is what all the fuss is about.
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This bottle was the first of a parcel I recently won from an AMC auction at a painful price. I remember liking it on release several years ago, but didn't buy any more and had not tasted it since. This is the classic slutty Cristal; beautiful stream of tiny bubbles , lush forward smell of ripe peach and orange peel, almost too easy to drink with its luscious fruity flavors. Verging on sweet, but stops just short, so presumably a high dosage. Almost a guilty pleasure to gulp this down. Not hiding a thing and I don't know how it can age, although Juhlin says it does, so we'll see.
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Consumed with California spiny lobster sashimi at Ken Johnson's Big Bear cabin. Bottle provided by Amy Weinberg. Medium straw robe with brisk tiny bead. Clean, explosive nose showing intense aromas of nutmeg, sawdust, marzipan and toast. Medium-bodied on the palate, with good acidity and similar flavors as for the nose. Long, crisp finish.
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Crown Liquors bottle. Assured by the manager it was fresh and it was. Very primary. Yeasty for Cristal. Intense. Good acidity, not too much. Obviously needs time. The usual Cristal elegance is not yet there. Surely will fill out nicely in the years to come.
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10/28/2022 - canan wrote: 95 Points
Quintarelli Tasting (Frederiksberg): Lovely and fully mature. Great wine!
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9/4/2022 - sdr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Despite the very firm cork and the loud pop, there were no bubbles in the juice beyond the first few seconds. Classic old Cristal. Massive orange peel, cinnamon and caramel, almost sweet despite the firm acidity. It’s definitely interesting but becomes tiring after the first glass. I wonder if the Vinotheque version tastes fresher.
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8/27/2022 - J B McDonald wrote: flawed
Regrettably, well past its prime. Weak sherry. Had to substitute a reasonable-grade new champagne for in-law’s 50th. Thanks, Nick.
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8/22/2022 - ASMB Likes this wine: 94 Points
From Magnum. This bottle was aged to perfection. Mild acid. Still nice bubbles. We drank this a lot faster than we expected to. Excellent at open.
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3/14/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
It has been some time since I've had a Cristal and the aged ones really are special. This was maybe a bit more oxidized than I would have expected it to be and it's definitely a different style than what's 'en vogue' at the moment mostly because there is a fairly reasonable dosage. That reasonable dosage though seems to contribute to the aged champagne notes and it ends up being really delicious. Sad that we don't have more but nice to celebrate a friend.
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2/14/2022 - edwine__ Likes this wine: 96 Points
A fully mature champagne that has a very inviting nose of honey, melon, brioche, lemon, vanilla, nuttiness, oxidative and slightly stone fruit. Palate is harmonious, elegance and juicy.
Simply beautiful!
One of my favourite champagne!
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2/5/2022 - GonzaloManzaneda Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cerrado, necesita tiempo. Mucha más evolución en color que Dom 1990, menos complejidad que el Dom pero trendamente fino. Acidez brutal.
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9/23/2021 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deeply mature but not quite over the edge. Active mousse. A bit of caramel lends complexity to the pit fruit flavors. Arguably a trifle low in acidity. But satisfying and not tiring to finish the bottle. Drink up though.
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8/18/2021 - Chimer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep slightly oxidised colour, nose also expressing oxidised notes but the mousse still had good energy and the palate was still fresh and supported by a beautifully fine and elegant finish. A good experience but this bottle has slipped past its peak.
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8/16/2021 - Nolch wrote:
Save for James
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5/28/2021 - Benoit Hardy Likes this wine: 95 Points
1995 slips slowly towards the tertiary sector and this champagne demonstrates it.
The nose brings beautiful scents of honey and candied apricot.
The excitement has subsided. The palate heads for pastry, nut and apricot aromas. It's enveloping and still very energetic with an underlying tension that brings a nice balance to a totally loose juice that is fully expressed. Complex and deep at the same time, everything fits perfectly, starting with this oxidative tip.
Nice explosive finish on salted butter caramel which gives an admirable length to this champagne. It’s just excellent and at its peak.
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11/26/2020 - starkravingmad Likes this wine: 90 Points
Apricot nose, light, slightly sweet
Enjoyed a Magnum with a group of Norbertine priests for Thanksgiving dinner
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1/28/2020 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fully mature without a doubt and maybe a bit past it’s best. Compared to the 21st century examples this night the ‘95 is deeper, richer, more evolved, more complex and more interesting. On the edgy side of fruit, more burnt apricot than fresh peach. Good acidity, good mousse yet just slightly less energy than previous bottles.
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10/4/2019 - MAOC wrote:
Slightly darker colour than the 96 but seemed correct for the vintage. Quite a meaty profile, some honeyed development but overall still had a fair amount of rich primary fruit. Didn’t compare well to the 96 which was excellent; some interesting read across to the profile of the 95 Krug ****
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9/12/2019 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 94 Points
1995 Vintage Champagne horizontal (Medlar (London)): Not a perfect bottle and visually quite brown. Still hinting at its potential for perfectly kept bottles. Nutty, golden full bodied with a touch of oak. However not quite repeating the strong performance on the white category from 02 and 08 where it both times won the top spot. One might only wonder what a perfect bottle could have done. However the Cristal rose came to the rescue to defend the Roederer integrity.
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8/31/2019 - hajoha wrote: 95 Points
Cristal 1995.
Modne epler, krydder, toffee, søtt bakverk i retning eplekake.
Moden på duft med god intensitet.
Nydelig munnfølelse med sylskarp friskhet.
Moden i frukten med stor konsentrasjon.
Vakker vin med ypperlig balanse.
Tåler ikke all verdens tid i glasset.
Nydelig syre og mineralitet i finish.
Sitter meget lenge.
Fantastisk vin.
Man bør begynne å tenke på å drikke disse snart. 95p
Var igjen litt i flasken som jeg smakte noen timer senere - hadde holdt seg forbausende bra.
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8/15/2019 - DAN BAILEY Likes this wine:
Noticeably darker/more mature than the 96 served alongside it. Strong burnt sugar element.
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7/6/2019 - ericindc Likes this wine:
Special Burgundy Dinner (DC/Silver Spring MD): Very similar to my January note. This bottle seemed younger and fresher than the previous bottle I tried. The provenance on this bottle was much better than the previous one, so it could be that or just normal bottle variation. More honeyed as it sat with less oxidative and mature notes. Still a great wine!
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4/27/2019 - DAN BAILEY Likes this wine:
From magnum. Immediately, much more giving and open than the 95 krug and DP (also both from mags) served alongside it. Lovely notes of golden honey. The favourite of the crowd tonight.
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1/3/2019 - ericindc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Super powerful nose. Lemon, melon, butterscotch, vanilla, light brioche. Mouthwatering strong, strong acidity, but balanced with fruit and medium body. Changed alot as it opened from more expansive honey, sugarcane, butterscotch, to more focused with melon, caramel and sugar syrup. Still seems pretty young. No real hurry. For those that like older champagnes, there is still upside for 10-15 yrs.
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12/11/2017 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wie immer spannend. Der ewige Kampf 95 gegen 96. Wenn man es verallgemeinern will: In der Breite ist der ältere Jahrgang der stärkere, in der Spitze hat der legendäre, aber oftmals überwertete 1996er die Nase vorn. Wenn man sich nicht sicher ist, würde ich 1995 bestellen. Heute phantastisch mit viel Brioche, Toast, Hefe, Nuß und im Finish trotzdem Zitrus. Aber der Gegner war zu stark. Tolle 96 Punkte
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12/7/2017 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark yellow color. Most advanced 95 I have seen. Orange, butterscotch, carmel, toast. Nice complexity. This was good but as I have experienced in the past just outclassed by Dom P. The Cristal was definitely sweeter than the DP.
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12/6/2017 - The Vines That Bind wrote: flawed
Champagne Showdown: 1995 v. 1996 (Atera): Quite oxidized. Brown. Some redeeming butterscotch and orange zest, but mostly just off.
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11/8/2017 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
The ‘95 Cristal is in a fine state of evolution now. Lively, aromatic and fruity with the complexity of maturity. Not as bright as the ‘96, seemingly more than one year older and fully ready. No hint of sweetness that Cristal sometimes has. Can it develop even further without losing its charm?
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8/12/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 95 Points
Château Palmer vertical tasting dinner (3030 Ocean, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): A really enjoyable wine that has matured nicely. Nice ripe fruit, good freshness, and overall excellent balance. A perfect start to the evening.
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8/12/2017 - sdr wrote: 93 Points
Château Palmer Vertical: Fully mature and ready, the '95 Cristal is warm and inviting. Gingery and fruity, very slightly low acidity, easy to drink. Not at all sweet or cloying.
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5/2/2017 - conviction buy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pnp, color is medium golden with fine bubbles. Fresh nose of ripe fruits like peach, pear and apple. Rather concentrated with tingy acidity, spicy from mid palate and some mineral too. Finish is long, shall continue to evolve given the concentration, alas this is the last bt....
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12/8/2015 - Rupert wrote:
Wine Gang Ultimate Champagne Evening (67 Pall Mall, London): Quite oxidative. Buttery. Honey and truffle. But all quite muted.
[It is possible the glasses were tainted]
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12/8/2015 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Wine Gang 'Ultimate Champagne' (Basement, 67 Pall Mall): Again, a slight cheesiness, but richer and rounder underneath. Opens up to a richer nose too. Quite broad. Almost a little coarse. Lacks the creamy, walnut, coffee development of the 90 at the same age. Still, depth and interest but lacks some verve and finesse. ****
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4/17/2015 - conviction buy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Med golden, endless stream of fine bubbles, nose of ripe pear, apple, bit nutty and smoke. Zesty acidic in mouth immediately followed by ripe apple and pear, and spicy at finish, there is good structure. And still appear quite young, while the 1990 is more round and supple, this should continue to evolve.
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12/31/2014 - jhngo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Crispy apple cider clean very linear. Fresh.
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12/11/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely full-bodied style with rich lemony fruit and lovely brioche and yeast flavors. Very good intensity and quite open knit and giving with some oxidized notes. This is deep and satisfying and a bit on the sweeter side of dry champagne with good complexity on the finish. Mature and ready and simply lacking the crisp focus and acids of the '96 which will obviously last a good deal longer than this.
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11/15/2014 - hajoha wrote: 93 Points
Litt tilbakeholden nese, med noen elementer av jord.
Flott frukt med litt kjøtt på beina.
Flott konsentrasjon og den gir en elegant og frodig munnfølelse.
Sitter lenge.
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6/10/2014 - BradE wrote:
From mag. A really good showing that belied the vintage.
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4/13/2014 - Mingestrom Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich nose full of ripe apples and brioche, honey and hints of vanilla.
Again red ripe apples on the palate,nuts,vanilla and even licorice, long finish.
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12/13/2013 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
From magnum this is drinking beautifully right now. It has plenty of brioche and notes of honey, guava, rockmelon and pure white peach. It is intense, full and creamy with fine bead and a big lick of minerality drying off the long finish.
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8/29/2013 - avp wrote:
Rich nose of apple jam, orange rind, shellfish, cookies and marzipan.
Dry but rich on the quite full bodied palate with decent moussé, animating acidity, almondy roundness and bitter citrus. Lengthy.
Quite nice effort, but I've never been a fan of this stuff. Needs more age to become interesting.
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9/15/2012 - tsec1224 wrote: 92 Points
Forth coming citrus lime grapefruit fragrant when opened, surprisingly crisp and fresh for its age. No notable toastiness or nuttiness at first. Honey aroma began to develop shortly after poured. Beautiful consistent mousse. Apple and citrus on the palate. Decent length with nice creamy texture balanced by good acidity. Nutty flavour started to develop after a longer while. Slightly on the linear side, but well balanced and beautiful nonetheless.
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6/18/2012 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Poured from magnum and quite brilliant. It has some toasty development traits along with the faintest whiff of white mushroom. Incredibly fresh and energetic with enticing floral notes and plenty of green apple and pure white peach flavours. It is rich and creamy with minerally precision.
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4/22/2012 - jrobs7777 wrote: 93 Points
Standard Cristal. Some oxidation, darker color. Hazelnut, candied almonds, honey, citrus zest. Always a "darker" profile, in my view. This is still young but it was overshadowed by the Salon 96, which we tasted alongside. It felt much older even though it was only a year older. Still, a very good wine.
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1/29/2012 - sdr wrote: 93 Points
This Cristal seems to have become less sweet and more intense. It's all about the citrus, lemon, lime and even grapefruit, not the usual peach. No detectable yeast. Perfectly mature, great shower of tiny bubbles, very good length. Terrific match for the spiny lobster at Area 31. Wonderful drink, but a bit too monolithic for great.
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1/5/2012 - elbosco wrote: 91 Points
Rich, goldened hued with yeasty fruits dominant. Decent mature bubbly on the downward slope.
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12/31/2011 - smkl123 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped on New Years Eve in Antigua. Great smoky fruit flavors. Balanced acidity. Definitely ready to drink now--no point in waiting
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11/12/2011 - ruevin wrote:
Great way to celebrate a daughter's 21st B-day!
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7/30/2011 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Easy, friendly, warm, inviting champagne. The door is open as soon as you remove the cork and there's no change over the next 2 hours. Pears, peaches, white flowers. Nicely balanced with slightly low acidity. Delicious now, no point in waiting any longer.
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4/30/2011 - TheRikker wrote: 96 Points
This is a stunning wine and while it's the 2nd best Cristal I've had, it has so much time to improve. The 1990 is still my favorite. This is starting to pick up some of the depth and complexity that these gain with age but isn't quite there yet. Nutty, floral, and creamy. This is both elegant and structured. Made for the long haul.
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4/23/2009 - wine_junkie wrote: 98 Points
An absolutely beautiful wine that drinks almost like a red Burgundy......notes of truffle mellowed by earth and fruit....absolutely delicious...
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3/6/2008 - sdr wrote: 94 Points
The kick-off wine at Palme d'Or for BWE 2008. Quite different than many of the previous examples, this one was definitely dry and had a distinctive, oddly attractive earthy note. Still delicate in that Cristal way though, and with more length and more interest; it's a winner.
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12/29/2007 - sdr wrote: 93 Points
This was brought to Cafe Boulud by the Cataldos and what a great way to start. I am starting to recognize the distinct Cristal style which I like very much but I can see how others do not. This bottle not at all sweet, but the typical delicacy and light citrus flavors are delicious but not profound. Still, there is an underlying complexity unique to Cristal. I'm glad the hip hop Hollywood crowd has moved on to other drinks so maybe there will be a bit more for the rest of us.
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11/10/2007 - sdr wrote: 92 Points
What a surprise - instead of the usual borderline sweet if irresistible peach concoction, this one was perfectly dry and very young. No champagne has tinier bubbles than Cristal so the mousse is especially attractive to the eye. Rather shy and indestinct on the nose but there's real flavor authority once it hits your tongue and a terrific finish, too. This is clearly great and serious stuff, as it should be.
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6/9/2007 - sdr wrote: 95 Points
Seriously fabulous champagne, just a few years too young perhaps for perfection. No hint at all of excess sweetness, just a kaleidoscopic display of very fresh citric fruit with a welcome hint of ginger. Lots of tiny prickles to tickle the tongue. It seems like the chardonnay is dominating the taste profile just now. Delicate yet authoritative. Really stylish, individual, exciting. This is what all the fuss is about.
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11/25/2006 - sdr wrote: 92 Points
This bottle was the first of a parcel I recently won from an AMC auction at a painful price. I remember liking it on release several years ago, but didn't buy any more and had not tasted it since. This is the classic slutty Cristal; beautiful stream of tiny bubbles , lush forward smell of ripe peach and orange peel, almost too easy to drink with its luscious fruity flavors. Verging on sweet, but stops just short, so presumably a high dosage. Almost a guilty pleasure to gulp this down. Not hiding a thing and I don't know how it can age, although Juhlin says it does, so we'll see.
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2/10/2006 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Red Carpet: High notes; pizza dough, vinous, awesome mth, dry, structured, silky, long citrus finish. Very good!
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1/16/2004 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 96 Points
Consumed with California spiny lobster sashimi at Ken Johnson's Big Bear cabin. Bottle provided by Amy Weinberg. Medium straw robe with brisk tiny bead. Clean, explosive nose showing intense aromas of nutmeg, sawdust, marzipan and toast. Medium-bodied on the palate, with good acidity and similar flavors as for the nose. Long, crisp finish.
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7/1/2002 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Crown Liquors bottle. Assured by the manager it was fresh and it was. Very primary. Yeasty for Cristal. Intense. Good acidity, not too much. Obviously needs time. The usual Cristal elegance is not yet there. Surely will fill out nicely in the years to come.
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