The 2018 Cristal opens a new chapter for Roederer. The Cristal estate is composed of 45 parcels. In better vintages, most of the 45 parcels are used for the blend. The 2018 vintage brought with it elevated ripeness and generally low acids. Longtime Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon was forced to cast his gaze wider, to look for parcels that offered a touch of freshness. Lécaillon expanded his palette to 57 parcels. The result is a Cristal unlike any other I have tasted. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, spice, chalk and herbs. 

Lovely hint of mineral reduction on the nose which shows bright pear and cherry fruit with a hint of spice on the nose. The palate is expansive with layered pear and citrus fruit, a hint of mandarin, and some fine spicy detail. It’s rich but nicely balanced with lots of texture and generosity, and not too much acidity, giving nice breadth on the palate. Lovely stuff.

It is telling to compare warm and cool years at the turn of the 2010s, when these wines increasingly reflect both vintage character and a firmly established house style. The 2010 Castillo Ygay (Tempranillo with a dash of Mazuelo) comes from a cool year and shows as such: initially closed and reductive, clearly mid-evolution. With air, it opens onto fine, fresh plum and cassis alongside finely drawn oak, mint, menthol and a touch of lavender. Tertiary notes are beginning to form, including delicate dried flowers, and there is beeswax again in the mix. Taut and slightly compact, it finishes long and tertiary-leaning, anchored by juicy freshness and tannins that still carry energy.

After the wine was not produced in 2013, 2014 and 2015, the 2016 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial returns as a statement of precision and poise. The Tempranillo was aged for 31 months in American oak and the Mazuelo in French oak, followed by six months in oak vats, 12 months in concrete and bottle-aging since January 2021. It reads beautifully today, with élevage-driven aromatics that move from sandalwood and fine oak to soft toffee, while the fruit sits perfectly inside the frame—fresh plum, a trace of sour cherry and gentle notes of mint, lavender and menthol, plus a hint of sweet cinnamon. The wine feels packed with tertiary precursors. Dry, taut and delicate, it combines chalky nuance with a fine, gripping thread that shapes the palate. What lingers is the silk-like texture, bringing refreshing energy and sharply defined detail. Long, very long, it leans toward the ethereal: more perfume than wine. Like Alice’s rabbit hole, it draws you in, and then the experience shifts into another world.

This shows aromas of mushroom, sandalwood, cedar and a subtle touch of ash. Medium- to full-bodied, it combines concentration and depth with polished tannins and an expressive core of fruit. It is expressive and broad. This is approachable now, but will benefit from extra time in the bottle. Drink or hold.