Ira Schwartz

9.5

Keeps going from strength to strength.
One can easily be fooled by this champagne’s light texture but make no mistake about it, this packs a punch! Similar to my previous bottle in 2023 but with more power, .Almost too easy to drink. — 6 months ago

Jan A

9.5

Really looked forward to this one, but a little bit too rich to warrant higher score. Missing the acidity/tension a bit.
Edit: and it was served too warm.. — 7 months ago

Ericsson

9.4

Tasting notes during visit to the winery where absolutely everything is done in-house by hand; preserving centuries old winemaking traditions. In the Tondonia offering one can really appreciate the time and patience dedicated to crafting this wine. The wine evolves to a rustic yet graceful profile with strong notes of dark berries with slight oak and dark chocolate. On the palate the wine is bliss, medium bodied, fully integrated, with balanced acidity and a long finish.

The juice is fermented in old large wooden “tinas,” then transferred to American oak barrels (made in house to medium toast specifications), stored underground in their +100 year old cellars for at least a year. After that it is bottled and stored in the same underground cellars and finally released about ten years later. Learning about their curated winemaking process was inspiring. — 9 months ago

Shay A

9.6

Last night’s “Evening With Krug” event, where they officially released their 2006 vintage. Beautiful evening with many different Krug offerings paired with a delicious meal.

The reason for the occasion. Loved trying this next to the ‘04 as they are completely different beasts at the moment. This is strutting Krug’s classic style of round, rich and opulent profile. The warm vintage has this totally open for business now, but obviously only getting better. Bakers yeast, toffee, and lemon pastry aromatics. Very fresh and inviting on the palate revealing golden caramel dipped apples, honeysuckle and nougat. Delicious. — 6 years ago

with Jason, joe and 3 others

Peter Marks

Master of Wine, Educator Constellation Brands

9.7

Amazingly rich, bread dough, toasted almonds. Just about as rich as great Champagne can get. Complex, creamy and lasts forever. 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay. 6 years on lees; 6 g/L dosage — 7 years ago

michael

9.8

Nose eucalyptus dark fruit cut grass taste rich eucalyptus cut grass dark fruit earth — 8 years ago

Nick Stinnett

9.1

Smooth and rich with a great finish. — 9 years ago

Christine Havens

9.5

As stately as I expected it to be (can one really expect anything less of a wine as legendary as Cristal in one of Champagne's most celebrated vintages?) glinting pale gold, the color of a freshly-minted coin. The 2002 Champagne Cristal Brut Millésimé is imbued with soaring notes of pear and smoke, brioche and chalk. Disgorged in 2009, this is a precise wine—it has a sort of crystalline weightless density, with fruit buoyed by a fine mousse, and edgy saline-tinged minerality emerging at the close. 10 grams dosage.

"You must be as precise as a Swiss watchmaker, I tell my team," our host, M. Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Chef de Caves at Roederer stressed. Precision in spades. — 9 years ago

Mike Blom

9.0

Deep reddish/purple color which has me on guard relative to Pinot. Worried that darker than lighter raspberry red has had Mega Red or other manipulation but this Pinot just has concentrated character. Varietal rose petal and cherry notes in aromas. You can see the broad influence from the 3 appellations that comprise the wine. Weighty on the palate without being too over bearing for the varietal. Great accompaniment to the saffron broth salmon this evening. — 10 years ago

Conrad Green

9.5

Dark and briny. Gnarly fruit with dried herbs and intense meaty fruit. Mineral and deep. Rich and long. Great — 6 months ago

with BOT, Matt and 1 other

Hum

9.2

Rich cassis and tobacco … vanilla frosting … everything well integrated… faint graphite ? Touch of bell pepper. — 8 months ago

Sally Wilde

9.8

In one fell swoop kick off the sandals, throw off the shirt, hop skip across sun-baked flat tile stones and dive with a swan’s assurance into the seaside swimming pool, warmed only by the elements, and just as mysterious, elusive and temperamental…….
Album pairing: Krulle Bol - This Is The Kit — 3 years ago

Roberto Carli

9.1

Now I see how this wine can be so divisive. LOTS of brett at first, more band-aid than barnyard. Takes a while to get past it and then lots of exotic spices show up. But after 40 minutes in the glass still nothing primary. It’s got the funk I can appreciate in some good left bank Bordeaux but also feels somewhat single-threaded. — 4 years ago

Keith Lite

9.5

A big bold plumy purple bomb As dense and luscious as a wine can get in a glass. Decanted for 2 hrs and its still a baby with blackberry, dark chocolate licorice and pepper on the nose and on the palate. A long long finish and loads of tannins to sum it all up — 6 years ago

with Bruce

Andrea Watt

9.1

Smooth, rich cherry and smoke. — 7 years ago

Richard Hylton

9.3

Fantastic. Rich dark berry fruit with leathery sweet nose. Really lovely paired with roasted wild ducks. — 8 years ago

Brian Duffy

Sommelier & Beverage Director The Barrymore Las Vegas

9.5

Outstanding! There is the perfect moment for a bottle to be opened and tonight was it. It was the wine equivalent of a album that you can listen to from start to finish. — 9 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

The nose on this wine is stunning baring the alcohol heat. Perfumed red florals and candied dark and lighter red fruits. While the wine is truly elegant, the alcohol is seriously burning the back of my throat. The bottle reads 14.1 but I think over 15 degrees. Maybe, they wanted to save on the higher alcohol tax. The wine starts so beautifully only to burn the back of my throat. The fruits are ripe, elegant and beautifully soft. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, faint back palate of strawberries, sweet/soft leather, black licorice, violets & roses, rich delicate & sweet wet black earth, soft light baking spices, caramel, milk chocolate, figs & dates, amazingly sweet dark minerals, touch of black tar, touch of spice and a rich long elegant dark fruit liqueur finish. I would score this wine higher if it didn't punish my palate and throat with the burning alcohol finish. — 9 years ago

Hande Erfus

9.0

Deep, rich wine. The 2007 vintage was more balanced. — 11 years ago

Mary H

9.5

I’m an addict, what can I say? Full mouthful of bright fruit flavor, golden tropical fruit, honey, singing acidity and long finish. — 7 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

This was rich with black fruits, mocha, graphite, cedar, leather, under brush & tobacco — 7 months ago

Anthony Cammarata Jr.

9.2

At over 20 years old, the 2004 Opus One is showing beautifully, striking a balance between maturity and vibrancy. On the nose, it opens with an inviting bouquet of ripe blackberries, cassis, and dark cherries, layered with subtle notes of violet, tobacco, and espresso.
On the palate, the wine is smooth and full-bodied, with fine-grained tannins and a silky texture that coats the mouth without being heavy. The core is rich with dark fruit—black plum, currant, and a touch of blueberry—balanced by earthy undertones and a whisper of leather. Definitely one of my favorites. — 8 months ago

with Michael

Greg Gosselin

9.1

2017 is fab. Great QPR. Intense with backbone. Give it a few more years. it doesn’t get much better at this price-point. — 6 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.3

Rich, green apple, stone fruit, brioche 🤤 — 7 years ago

Andrew Lohse

9.4

This ‘94 was rich and enticing - plenty of freshness and pyrazine, vanilla (light), bitter dark chocolate, and young tannins / black fruit and a finish for days — 7 years ago

Allison Rich

9.4

Rich, full bodied cab. Notes of toasted oak and coffee. Great finish. Delicious just opened and even better after aerating/breathing. — 7 years ago

Peter Keohan

9.2

Good color lovely nose rich and long clean — 9 years ago

Mick Foy

10

As good as it gets for my taste. Big dark full bodied red with rich flavor and smooth finish. — 9 years ago

Craig Brown

9.5

Check the date 2002! I was nervous opening it but happily surprised. A deep gold in color from age. Stewed fruit on the nose. Smooth, rich and velvety on the palate with a slight 'honey' accent. Still had abundant acidity. I would say it compares favorably to several older Grand Cru white burgundies I've had. — 10 years ago

Kai Chang

9.2

Clear deep purple colour with watery rim. Clean medium intensity aroma with minty black cherry and black currant with hint of oak smokiness and vanilla. Dry on the palate full bodied medium alcohol with medium acidity and high but smooth velvety tannin. Flavours of earthy black currant, black cherry, and vanilla. Flavours last through into its long pleasant finish. Very good quality, drink now but can age for another 3 to 5 years for a even more balanced complexity. — 11 years ago