Tasting Notes
Robert Parker 96
Tasted from the original 2009 disgorgement, the 2002 Cristal is a broad, vinous wine, bursting with aromas of honeyed yellow orchard fruit, warm butter, brioche and fresh peaches. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, textural and mouthfilling, rendering the fine-boned chalky structure and textural finesse that distinguish this quintessentially elegant style of this cuvee in a broader-shouldered, more enveloping register. The 2002 is beginning to enter its plateau of maturity and is drinking beautifully today, though it still has many years ahead of it.
Anticipated maturity: 2019-2039
Vinous 99
The 2002 Cristal (magnum) is off the charts. In magnum, the 2002 shows a bit less of the opulence and richness it presents in bottle, which is not at all a bad thing for a vintage that has so much natural exuberance. Creamy and exquisitely layered in the glass, the 2002 is wonderfully expressive today, not to mention incredibly inviting. Dried flowers, mint, Mirabelle and wild flowers give the 2002 captivating inner perfume and tons of sheer allure. This is the original 2009 disgorgement. Dosage is 9 grams per liter, lower than was once the norm here, and the result of a combination of factors including climate change, generally riper fruit and a warm growing season.
Anticipated maturity: 2019-2039
JancisRobinson.com 18.5
Magnum. Disgorged in 2008, dosage 9 g/l. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. 17% of the cuvée is fermented in oak. Five years spent on the lees. ‘In 2002 I did nothing – just blended the usual Cristal plots’, said Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. Deep dark straw. Very complex and this seems really quite aged. Mature white-burgundy sensation. Complex and savoury. Really exciting. Maybe not the most persistent Cristal in this vertical tasting, but really exciting.
Anticipated maturity: 2012-2026
