Country: France

Region: Champagne

Vintage: 2015

Cépage: Pinot Noir (60%); Chardonnay (40%)

Size: 750 ml

Rating(s): 96+ (RP); 100 (JD); 98 (JS)

" The 2016 Champagne Cristal is chalky and pristine, with a crystalline nature and notes of white peach, fresh citrus blossoms, and bright salinity. Tasted for the first time last year, it captures a precise and focused energy that’s unmatched. It boasts the energy and tension of 2002 and the precision of 2008. The wet-stone minerality of fresh chalk texture is profound, opening with medium body, showing pinpoint mousse, and sustaining a weightless energy through the long finish. This is not an obvious wine on opening, but it is by far one of my favorite wines of the year. It is going to require some patience, but it is worth stashing away and should have fantastic longevity."

Audrey Frick (JD) - 12/25