Delectable Wine

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9.8

One of the two or three most moving wines in this vertical, the 1988 Cristal is eternal. Deep and vertical, with Gothic spires of soaring aromatic, flavor and structural intensity, the 1988 has it all. At thirty years of age, the 1988 is fresh, vibrant and incredibly powerful. Lemon peel, white flower, chalk and almonds are all given an extra kick of vibrancy from the bright acids and underlying energy of the vintage. Even after three decades, the 1988 remains searing, classically austere and beautifully focused, with tremendous pedigree and stunning balance. The 1988 is a rare Cristal where the Chardonnay, at 48% of the blend, is on the higher side. “When I joined Roederer in 1989, we were blending the 1988s,” Lécaillon explains. “They were such hard wines to work with because the acidities were so high. My teeth suffered. I thought ‘am I going to have to deal with this for the rest of my life? Maybe I should change jobs?’” Luckily, he did not. “In 1988, flowering was very bad for the Chardonnay. Yields were quite low and flavors were super-intense and concentrated. This, to me, is one of the keys for making great Champagne with real dimension. Interestingly, the same is not true of Pinot Noir. Keep a glass of the 1988 to compare with the 2008 later. In my opinion, 2008 is the new 1988.” (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 7 years ago

Lindsey King

9.2

Gothic dark fruit, deep blackberry, brambly mixed berry, the European Robert Smith of wines (lol what a smoothie). A little green vegetable character, is it totally crazy of me to say asparagus? No, it's not, I say what I want. When you stop to buy berries on the side of the road but it's too far from your romantic expectations of country life and it's more like a wounded salesman with purple stained palms and blackened nails who dryly utters "do you want three pints or not" and you lean in, in a grand attempt at acting casual, and say, "yes please thanks". — 8 years ago

Ellen Clifford

8.9

I reallllly like this. I have loved other wines from Gothic. I don't know that I love this one but it gets my "reallllly like" rating. High on the...stewed fruit. The anise/pastille notes sing. This maybe doesn't hit "love" but I adore it. Maybe it is the Oregon vibe but I imagine it paired with anything that has blackberries....and paired with black lipstick. Gotta have the black lips with the Goth. — 8 years ago

with Paul

Lexi S

10

Had I known this would be a great blend I would've stocked up! — 10 years ago

Dustin Fanzo

9.0

Kenda is a huge fan of this. Need to find bottles ASAP. — 10 years ago

Keith Levenberg

9.6

No better riesling in the USA. I have had this bottle for about five years now. The amazing thing is that it doesn't taste like it's gotten any older - it's just even better. A knockout on the very first sip with a sizzling minerality of slate and gothic stone; I didn't know it was possible to get this kind of expression outside Germany. The style is a bone-dry GG style of riesling with acidity cutting like a samurai sword that would probably feel wincingly sharp if the wine weren't buzzing with so many other things going on. The fruit is pale and, like I said before, as fresh as a new release but calling it fruit at all may be stretching the concept, as it has the light and brightness of fruit but otherwise this wine is pure mineral, the flavors a study in stone and the texture like crunching on quartz crystals. — 10 years ago

web bond

9.2

En Dessus lieu-dit. Gothic Faiveley. — 7 years ago

with Nils

Roman Sukley

9.8

2006 Sine Qua Non "The Hoodoo Man" White Blend
39% Roussanne, 31% Viognier and 30% Chardonnay. 15.8% alcohol. “There ain’t a horse that can’t be rode, there ain’t a man that can’t be throw’d” Yet another of my Sine Qua Non guilty pleasures. Similar to the 2009 “The Thrill Of Stamp Collecting” and the 2011 “Patine,” this is one of those Sine Qua Non wines that I find to be a might more compelling than the expert reviews. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly why, but this one has always sort of tickled my fancy, and never fails to please. Ive always been rather fond of the perhaps Grant Wood, American Gothic inspired label. Now, some 12 years down the road, as with most of Manfred’s whites, the extra cellar time has just added nuance to this sexy effort. Lustrous, radiant gold in the stem, with a stunning bouquet of smoky, nutty peach cobbler with hints of white flowers lurking in the background. Tropical fruits and orange marmalade with a toasty, butterscotchy finish of substantial length. Absolutely wonderful acidity. Unctuous, oily texture that I treasure. Powerful and intense. Great balance. I like to taste great whites slightly warmer than cellar temperature, but I would say this one just got better and better with more air and as it warmed. Just beautiful. “Salud, chindon Mr. Krankl!”
— 7 years ago

Tyler Martinelli

9.0

Smooth and cherries :) — 9 years ago

with Jessica

Karen Leuthold

10

Love love love this. So smooth!!!!!! — 9 years ago

Mike Madigan

9.4

Commanding and conversational Cab... Dark and Gothic in all ebbs... Gorgeous and shapely from initial sensory step to sip's summation. Scenic, its own language and phenolic rhetoric.. Sa propre histoire. — 10 years ago

Dongming Yin

9.1

Gothic. the sweet type. — 10 years ago

web bond

9.0

Extremely traditional, whole-cluster character; initially lean, but filling out with richness over time; whole-cluster influence arguably dominates Chambolle character, but purity and Gothic style are exceptional. Day 2: Chambolle silkiness and sweetness emerges along with fruit and floral. — 11 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

Fresh, zesty, flinty lemons with lemon peel, white peach and tons of minerality. Juicy & refreshing.
Halfway between the linear, gothic beauty of Rheingau and the exotic richness of Pfalz. Highly drinkable, too. — 7 years ago

Rick Riddle

9.1

Cassis and licorice on the nose with dark chocolate on the palate with a cherry jubilee finish. Reminds me of nighttime, darkness, gothic. Maybe because of the deep purple, dark chocolate with greater than expected velvety tannins. Not your typical Merlot, but what you would expect from the Wagner family- Very Jammy, but also very rich — 8 years ago

with Meagan

Geoff

9.0

Soft, great on it's own — 8 years ago

Marshal White

9.1

These wines have a shape that's really different than the Côte d'Or norm to me. Some wines are described as "Baroque." These are Gothic. — 9 years ago

Nia Nguyen

9.2

Yummmmm :) — 10 years ago

Keith Levenberg

9.7

This is listed here as a riesling but it's actually a gruner veltliner, 2003 vintage, one of the rare times they did this if not the only. I would say nobody would be able to peg this as a 2003 but I gave a blind pour to Peter Weygandt and he nailed it. Regardless, it's luminously bright and bracing, textured like rough gothic stone with sharp angles and spires. With air the fruit gets fuller and fleshier, taking on more primary pear-like and banana flavors and clean aloe cream scents. — 10 years ago

Scorewine

Wine writer http://www.israelwines.co.il

8.9

2008, I liked this powerful yet elegant super Tuscan from one of the more famous houses. The wine is inky black, it has a gothic nose full of cooked plums, cherries, raisins and sweet spices, the body is full a bit on the port side, but yet with lots of typical fresh Italian acidity, long long chewy finish. My score 89, drink 2013-2019 — 10 years ago