99

Antonio Galloni

Vinous

The 2008 Cristal is just fabulous. Chiseled and nuanced to the core, the 2008 possesses dazzling intensity from start to finish. Crushed rocks, lemon peel, graphite, mint, lime, chalk and white flowers all race across the palate. This is classic Cristal in a cool, late-ripening year. 11/2024

97

Richard Juhlin

Richard Juhlin

Not as extravagant as Dom Pérignon at launch, but with more undeveloped power and higher acidity. Slightly closed aroma and extreme purity. Magnificent weight under the surface. We are waiting for the exoticism and fruit richness as well as the white chocolate. It is significantly more more tied than Dom Pérignon and Comtes and so far a small step behind them. However, I wouldn't be surprised if this tight and extract-packed grandeur steps past one day in the autumn. As a restrained breed horse that the driver chastise to that time is mature to go out in full gallop. More oak than before. 06/2024

98

William Kelley

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

Disgorged in September 2017 with 7.5 grams per liter dosage, the 2008 Cristal was produced from 37 of the 45 parcels that are candidates for inclusion in this cuvée—some 40% of which were farmed organically back in 2008—and it's a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. The finest young Cristal in decades, the wine wafts from the glass with a pure and vibrant bouquet of crisp orchard fruit, clear honey, warm brioche, citrus zest and white flowers. On the palate, it's full-bodied, intense and incisive, with superb concentration, racy acids and a long, searingly chalky finish. Pristinely balanced, there are some 500,000 bottles of this legend-in-the-making. 03/2020

100

Jeb Dunnuck

Jeb Dunnuck

The 2008 Cristal is a perfect wine, and Champagne simply does not get any better. This incredible wine offers a beautiful perfume of clean, crisp fruits, layers of complexity in its toasted spice and white flowers, and an utterly seamless, yet powerful style on the palate. This is a rich, decadent expression of Cristal, yet it’s still crystalline and elegant, with no sensation of weight, and it just glides over the palate. Haute couture at its finest, this majestic, profound, legendary Cristal can be drunk any time over the coming 2-3 decades. 12/2018

100

James Suckling

James Suckling

OMG. A masterpiece. A benchmark. Tight and structured, with fantastic precision and structure. Sharp line of acidity throughout, with fine and tight bubbles. Pineapple, lemon, white apricot, seashell, biscuit, blanched almond and a hint of chamomile. Vertical and mineral. Dosage 7g/L. Special release in magnum and aged two or three years longer on the lees than the normal bottling. I can’t go higher than this. Even better in a few years. 06/2022