Cristaldi Scores

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The ‘Jour 1’ (‘Day 1’) explores Le Levant, south of Avize. 100% Chardonnay. Rich and full with a heady bouquet of jasmine, Mirabelle, and nougat. A fine, creamy mousse unspools with Granny Smith apple, flaky croissant, and salted caramel. Taut, tense, and mineral-driven.
50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay from Ambonnay. A lemony-rich bouquet brings forward decadent sugar-dusted pastries, toasted almonds, and dried apricots. Impressively taut with fleshy yellow apple, ripe pear, and fine-boned acidity. A vein of chalky minerality rounds out a long finish of black truffle, smoked sea salt, and lemon zest
Olivier Bonville of Champagne Franck Bonville (based in Avize) and stepson Ferdinand Ruelle are exploring the 319 Champagne villages. The ‘Jour 2’ (‘Day 2’) takes us to Le Couchant, north of Avize. 100% Chardonnay. Compact, mind-bogglingly complex. Exquisite fine beading is persistent. Savory, mineral-kissed, loaded with orchard fruits, mulberry, cherry, black truffle, and sous bois nuances—incredible.
Seven generations of the Monmarthes have farmed slopes in the Premier Cru village of Ludes. Taut, racy, and complex. Baked apples and pears emerge through an assertive mousse. The saline mid-palate is balanced by chalky minerals, finishing with Marcona almonds and smoky sea salt.
Heady black truffle, wild herbs, licorice, and salty sea spray notes. A bright, assertive mousse leads to creamy waves of caramelized pears and bruised yellow apples through a salty mineral finish. 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir.
Bright and attractive with white flowers, orchard fruits, and flaky French buttered pastry. Rich with a persistent mousse and layers of yellow apple, poached pear, vanilla cream, pastry crust, and a lemony finish.
Julien Fayard’s 2021 Covert Cabernet from the Coombsville AVA is a full-bodied, silky, super-enticing wine with heady boysenberry fruit, dark cacao, and sweet oak spices. Plush, velvety tannins form a solid foundation, framing gobs of dark berry fruit, cassis, graphite, wild herbs, and cedar spices. All too easy to drink, and at 14.9% alcohol, balanced as it is, this is a wine to savor with a burger and fries, roast chicken and potatoes, or braised meats and hearty stews.

N/A

Established in 1935, a pioneer of the Côte des Bars. Vivid and alluring. Brioche and lemon pastry aromas. A gentle mousse builds with expressive minerality, tart orchard fruit, and taut acid tension. From estate-grown Pinot Noir vines on slopes of the Seine River Valley.

N/A

70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, disgorged in June of 2023. At 4g/L, it’s a taut, racy, electric with oyster shell minerality and a touch of pastry cream, bruised yellow apples, underripe pears, and a bone-dry finish.

N/A

Equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Round and rich with a creaminess balanced by bracing acidity. Baked apple and buttery brioche notes. Intense mineral underpinnings. Voluptuous, succulent, and beckoning.

N/A

Bright nectarine, pithy lime, and orange blossoms. Frothy, with saline minerals, expressive orchard fruit, pastry crust, cherry pit, and fragrant wildflowers framed by laser-like acidity. 100% Pinot Noir.

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100% Chardonnay from Avize Grand Cru. Flinty minerals, lime blossoms, and sea spray. Round, rich, and creamy with a persistent mousse. Kiwi, key lime, and candied ginger emerge with sous bois notes. Dried apricots laced with vanilla cream add intrigue.

N/A

Fragrant oyster shell notes mingle with white strawberry and flinty minerals. Exuberant and creamy, with muddled red berry fruits wrapped in flaky French pastry. Energetic and racy.

N/A

100% Chardonnay from a 16-acre parcel in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, adjacent to ‘Clos de Mesnil’ (a source for Krug and Salon). Zesty, energetic, leading with lemon and lime peel, dried apricots, and a beautiful earthy intensity. Voluminous with persistent bubbles, white florals, chalky minerality, and a spicy, candied ginger finish. Utterly irresistible

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100% Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Half 2019 harvest, half Launois reserves. Lively and elegant. Rich lemon-pastry notes, traces of vanilla and caramel, underpinnings of savory earth and spices. Fresh, forward, and inviting with remarkable depth and a bone-dry, zesty, mineral-rich finish.

N/A

Alluring flinty minerals, zesty lemon, vanilla bean, and pastry puff. A beautifully rich and creamy mousse leads to mouthwatering Red Delicious apple, plum, apricot cream, and brown baking spices. Persistent with a bracing mineral tension and cheese rind nuances on the long drawn-out finish.

N/A

Intensely savory, with a briny richness balanced by honeydew melon. Expansive with a voluminous, creamy mousse. Intriguingly bright earthen notes, smoky minerals, and bracing acid tension

N/A

Leads with oyster shells, brine, apricot, and melon. A richness envelops the palate, layering briny salt crystals with cascading notes of pithy lime, cherry pit, and savory spices. Layered, long, and absolutely intriguing
Organically farmed Sauvignon Blanc, harvested early to retain acidity, then cool-fermented in barrel with an aromatic yeast strain. Lees stirring contributes added texture, while a small portion aged in new oak lends a subtle toasty edge. Alcohol is gently removed via vacuum distillation before the wine sees a short élevage in neutral oak. Golden in hue with flecks of emerald flashing at the rim. Opens with vivid aromas of lime blossom, gooseberry, and fresh-cut citrus, followed by hints of guava and green melon. The palate is mouthwatering and bright, layered with lemon-lime and white grapefruit — reminiscent of childhood sodas like Sprite or 7UP, but without the sweetness or carbonation. There’s a subtle textural roundness at the core and a whisper of toast and wet stone on the finish. Surprisingly complex for a non-alcoholic wine, with a nostalgic wink and an adult sense of restraint.

Vintage

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Type

Color

Rating

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The ‘Jour 1’ (‘Day 1’) explores Le Levant, south of Avize. 100% Chardonnay. Rich and full with a heady bouquet of jasmine, Mirabelle, and nougat. A fine, creamy mousse unspools with Granny Smith apple, flaky croissant, and salted caramel. Taut, tense, and mineral-driven.
50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay from Ambonnay. A lemony-rich bouquet brings forward decadent sugar-dusted pastries, toasted almonds, and dried apricots. Impressively taut with fleshy yellow apple, ripe pear, and fine-boned acidity. A vein of chalky minerality rounds out a long finish of black truffle, smoked sea salt, and lemon zest
Olivier Bonville of Champagne Franck Bonville (based in Avize) and stepson Ferdinand Ruelle are exploring the 319 Champagne villages. The ‘Jour 2’ (‘Day 2’) takes us to Le Couchant, north of Avize. 100% Chardonnay. Compact, mind-bogglingly complex. Exquisite fine beading is persistent. Savory, mineral-kissed, loaded with orchard fruits, mulberry, cherry, black truffle, and sous bois nuances—incredible.
Seven generations of the Monmarthes have farmed slopes in the Premier Cru village of Ludes. Taut, racy, and complex. Baked apples and pears emerge through an assertive mousse. The saline mid-palate is balanced by chalky minerals, finishing with Marcona almonds and smoky sea salt.
Heady black truffle, wild herbs, licorice, and salty sea spray notes. A bright, assertive mousse leads to creamy waves of caramelized pears and bruised yellow apples through a salty mineral finish. 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir.
Bright and attractive with white flowers, orchard fruits, and flaky French buttered pastry. Rich with a persistent mousse and layers of yellow apple, poached pear, vanilla cream, pastry crust, and a lemony finish.
Julien Fayard’s 2021 Covert Cabernet from the Coombsville AVA is a full-bodied, silky, super-enticing wine with heady boysenberry fruit, dark cacao, and sweet oak spices. Plush, velvety tannins form a solid foundation, framing gobs of dark berry fruit, cassis, graphite, wild herbs, and cedar spices. All too easy to drink, and at 14.9% alcohol, balanced as it is, this is a wine to savor with a burger and fries, roast chicken and potatoes, or braised meats and hearty stews.

N/A

Established in 1935, a pioneer of the Côte des Bars. Vivid and alluring. Brioche and lemon pastry aromas. A gentle mousse builds with expressive minerality, tart orchard fruit, and taut acid tension. From estate-grown Pinot Noir vines on slopes of the Seine River Valley.

N/A

70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, disgorged in June of 2023. At 4g/L, it’s a taut, racy, electric with oyster shell minerality and a touch of pastry cream, bruised yellow apples, underripe pears, and a bone-dry finish.

N/A

Equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Round and rich with a creaminess balanced by bracing acidity. Baked apple and buttery brioche notes. Intense mineral underpinnings. Voluptuous, succulent, and beckoning.

N/A

Bright nectarine, pithy lime, and orange blossoms. Frothy, with saline minerals, expressive orchard fruit, pastry crust, cherry pit, and fragrant wildflowers framed by laser-like acidity. 100% Pinot Noir.

N/A

100% Chardonnay from Avize Grand Cru. Flinty minerals, lime blossoms, and sea spray. Round, rich, and creamy with a persistent mousse. Kiwi, key lime, and candied ginger emerge with sous bois notes. Dried apricots laced with vanilla cream add intrigue.

N/A

Fragrant oyster shell notes mingle with white strawberry and flinty minerals. Exuberant and creamy, with muddled red berry fruits wrapped in flaky French pastry. Energetic and racy.

N/A

100% Chardonnay from a 16-acre parcel in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, adjacent to ‘Clos de Mesnil’ (a source for Krug and Salon). Zesty, energetic, leading with lemon and lime peel, dried apricots, and a beautiful earthy intensity. Voluminous with persistent bubbles, white florals, chalky minerality, and a spicy, candied ginger finish. Utterly irresistible

N/A

100% Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Half 2019 harvest, half Launois reserves. Lively and elegant. Rich lemon-pastry notes, traces of vanilla and caramel, underpinnings of savory earth and spices. Fresh, forward, and inviting with remarkable depth and a bone-dry, zesty, mineral-rich finish.

N/A

Alluring flinty minerals, zesty lemon, vanilla bean, and pastry puff. A beautifully rich and creamy mousse leads to mouthwatering Red Delicious apple, plum, apricot cream, and brown baking spices. Persistent with a bracing mineral tension and cheese rind nuances on the long drawn-out finish.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

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