The 2016 vintage of Cristal is composed from a blend of fifty-eight percent pinot noir and forty-two percent chardonnay. Just under a third of the vins clairs in this vintage were barrelfermented and the wine was finished with a dosage of seven grams per liter. Chef du Cave Jean- Baptiste Lécaillon compares the classical style of the 2016 Cristal to recent classics such as 2002, 2008 and 2012. The wine is utterly refined on the nose, wafting from the glass in a constellation of peach, golden delicious apple, a hint of mirabelle, almond, brioche, a complex base of chalky soil tones, white flowers and just a whisper of oak. On the palate the wine is crisp, precise and fullbodied, with a great girdle of acidity, superb depth of pure fruit at the core, great salty soil signature and grip, elegant mousse and outstanding length and complexity on the perfectly balanced finish. Like the 2008 and 2012 were in their youth, this is a very young wine that absolutely deserves a decade in the cellar before broaching, as there is so much more here to unfold if time is given a chance to work its magic! 2035-2085+.

This is a layered and complex rosé showing aromas ranging from strawberries, apricot pits and pink grapefruits to nutmeg, pastries and rust. It’s firm, focused and minerally with a tight mousse and a long, taut finish. Drink or hold.

This bone-dry rosé Champagne is crisp and taut, showing aromas of grapefruit, crushed stones, apples and a hint of nutmeg. It’s fresh and minerally, with tight bubbles and lots of tension. Shows restraint. Drink or hold.

Berries and dried grapefruit with hints of salty biscuits, toast and flint on the nose of this dry Champagne. Very savory yet rich, broad shouldered and textured, too, with a firm,chalky finish. From lieu-dit La Riviere in Cumieres. Drink now or hold.

This has pretty and elegant aromas of pears, apple blossoms, grapefruit and chalk. It’s silky, fresh and beautifully balanced on the palate, with very soft bubbles. Based on 2021, with reserve wine from a perpetual reserve created in 2012, plus reserve wines kept in oak from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Drink now.