Dark sauterne color, did not look good; some aged oxy notes on the nose but not strong, bubbles are gone, nutty pecan and roasted almond notes, slight sherry thing but in check; med. mouthfeel, good weight, with an incredible long tangy finish, sign of pedigree. This was really fun, at first not disappointed that it "was not horrible" based on the color and obvious signs of oxidation, but after sitting with this for 20 or so minutes, it really was lovely, full of character, with that nice finish, and slight caramel/sour apple notes. Sandy's old champagnes dinner.
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Wine Workshop: An evening with Cristal (Atera - 77 Worth Street in NYC): Very fun and nice to get to try a birth year wine again. This was well aged. Lots of caramel and some oxidation and served a bit cold so some of the flavors a touch muted and didn't have as much time to warm up as some of the others. Still, an enjoyable wine as they all were.
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A Few Favorite Wines (Vaucluse): We all agreed this was basically a caramel apple crumble with a touch of cinnamon in the glass. Obviously a dry style, but there was a bit of sweetness to it. Started and ended the dinner with it. Out of a magnum. There was some concern that it was 'over the hill', but I like that aged champagne flavor. Interesting finish where the primary part ends a bit quickly, but there's this background flavor that just keeps going and going. Very much enjoyed. And who doesn't like birth year bubbles?
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Bye Bye Timmy (Convivial - Washington, D.C.): From magnum. Changed a lot over the course of the evening. At first I thought there was a hint of cork taint, but that seemed to blow off. Then I got the feeling I was dealing with an oxidized bottle as flavors of honey and butterscotch seemed to emerge. Sat the bottle aside, and about 2 hours later revisited it. Much cleaner, and fresher. Florals, pears, and minerals took center stage. Ended up really nice...good balance and depth. Just needed some air, I guess.
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Fathers 60th Birthday; 8/31/2014-9/1/2014: Unfortunately this had been stored improperly at room temperature for at least a decade. As we knew about this the expectations weren't great. Turned out to be less damaged than we had feared. The nose has a slight touch of madeira, dried fruit and dust. But there is nice buttery biscuits and stable hay. In the mouth the wine feels a lot more oxidized. Dried out fruit, a decent length and round acidity. This is a flawed wine, but we had not problem emptying the bottle.
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Had this alongside the '79 and in the end I'll give them a tie (I'll leave my note and score here because for some reason this one gets less love on CT). Both were great wines and remarkably fresh.
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Dusty nose with orange peel, wood oil, shellfish, mushroomy earth and vanilla. Dry palate with decent acidity and rather aged fruit. Moussé had pretty much left the building. Salty feel, mushrooms, tar and some liquorice. Fun to taste, but unfortunately not a fine example of aged Champagne.
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This tastes fresh and isa and nicely integrated Champagne, but this didn't have the depth that one looks for in old bubbly. This was a nice treat, and certainly delicious, but it's merely good rather than great.
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Vigorous bead. Honey, nutty, quince and oxidative notes on the nose. Just enough acid to give the palate some life but there isn't a great deal of complexity. This bottle would have been better when it was fresher but it was still enjoyable.
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A deepish gold. The nose is quite creamy with strawberries and candied orange. Lovely full palte - nicely evolved. Great depth. Creamy in the mouth with soft, slightly sweet fruit and a touch of cashew nuts. Very integrated, fine acidity on the finish. Very long indeed. This is a lovely drink and quite a treat.
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Graduation wines (Columbus, OH): Apple and almond on the nose. Lots of mousse left but some real sherried notes. Good acidity to keep things from being heavy. Most would find this over-the-hill, I thought it interesting but not a great Cristal.
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Mike’s bottle. Amazingly good for an off vintage. Simply delightful bouquet. Delicate. Lots of vanilla. Evenly spaced stream of minute bubbles. Not too gaseous. Tastes like a Blanc de Blancs. Delightful texture. Very elegant. So lively and fresh. No hard edges. Perfectly mature.
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8/7/2022 - Boone's Farm Likes this wine: 94 Points
Perfectly balanced. Lite sherry flavors. Stone and wheat. Nothing out of place. Crisp acidity.. Great wine.
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10/16/2020 - peternelson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark sauterne color, did not look good; some aged oxy notes on the nose but not strong, bubbles are gone, nutty pecan and roasted almond notes, slight sherry thing but in check; med. mouthfeel, good weight, with an incredible long tangy finish, sign of pedigree. This was really fun, at first not disappointed that it "was not horrible" based on the color and obvious signs of oxidation, but after sitting with this for 20 or so minutes, it really was lovely, full of character, with that nice finish, and slight caramel/sour apple notes. Sandy's old champagnes dinner.
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12/4/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Workshop: An evening with Cristal (Atera - 77 Worth Street in NYC): Very fun and nice to get to try a birth year wine again. This was well aged. Lots of caramel and some oxidation and served a bit cold so some of the flavors a touch muted and didn't have as much time to warm up as some of the others. Still, an enjoyable wine as they all were.
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9/14/2018 - BradE wrote:
Interestingly, this had lost all of its effervescence, but the underlying flat wine was moderately enjoyable.
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3/30/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
A Few Favorite Wines (Vaucluse): We all agreed this was basically a caramel apple crumble with a touch of cinnamon in the glass. Obviously a dry style, but there was a bit of sweetness to it. Started and ended the dinner with it. Out of a magnum. There was some concern that it was 'over the hill', but I like that aged champagne flavor. Interesting finish where the primary part ends a bit quickly, but there's this background flavor that just keeps going and going. Very much enjoyed. And who doesn't like birth year bubbles?
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1/9/2016 - tooch wrote: 92 Points
Bye Bye Timmy (Convivial - Washington, D.C.): From magnum. Changed a lot over the course of the evening. At first I thought there was a hint of cork taint, but that seemed to blow off. Then I got the feeling I was dealing with an oxidized bottle as flavors of honey and butterscotch seemed to emerge. Sat the bottle aside, and about 2 hours later revisited it. Much cleaner, and fresher. Florals, pears, and minerals took center stage. Ended up really nice...good balance and depth. Just needed some air, I guess.
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1/1/2016 - jhngo Likes this wine: 91 Points
A bit advanced. good but on its last leg.
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7/4/2015 - Gabbby wrote: 92 Points
Orange golden color with fine bubbles. This bottle tasted a bit older than it should be, a bit plummy and nutty.
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8/31/2014 - Lilja wrote: flawed
Fathers 60th Birthday; 8/31/2014-9/1/2014: Unfortunately this had been stored improperly at room temperature for at least a decade. As we knew about this the expectations weren't great. Turned out to be less damaged than we had feared. The nose has a slight touch of madeira, dried fruit and dust. But there is nice buttery biscuits and stable hay. In the mouth the wine feels a lot more oxidized. Dried out fruit, a decent length and round acidity. This is a flawed wine, but we had not problem emptying the bottle.
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8/6/2014 - bconly Likes this wine: 97 Points
Had this alongside the '79 and in the end I'll give them a tie (I'll leave my note and score here because for some reason this one gets less love on CT). Both were great wines and remarkably fresh.
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11/1/2012 - avp wrote:
Dusty nose with orange peel, wood oil, shellfish, mushroomy earth and vanilla.
Dry palate with decent acidity and rather aged fruit. Moussé had pretty much left the building. Salty feel, mushrooms, tar and some liquorice.
Fun to taste, but unfortunately not a fine example of aged Champagne.
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6/16/2012 - BradE wrote:
From mag. Hadn't tried the 81 before - a great bottle in very good condition. Loved it.
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1/11/2012 - Lype wrote: flawed
An off bottle.
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1/4/2011 - rc@ughey wrote: 90 Points
This tastes fresh and isa and nicely integrated Champagne, but this didn't have the depth that one looks for in old bubbly. This was a nice treat, and certainly delicious, but it's merely good rather than great.
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10/26/2009 - CamWheeler wrote: 89 Points
Vigorous bead. Honey, nutty, quince and oxidative notes on the nose. Just enough acid to give the palate some life but there isn't a great deal of complexity. This bottle would have been better when it was fresher but it was still enjoyable.
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3/6/2009 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 94 Points
A deepish gold. The nose is quite creamy with strawberries and candied orange. Lovely full palte - nicely evolved. Great depth. Creamy in the mouth with soft, slightly sweet fruit and a touch of cashew nuts. Very integrated, fine acidity on the finish. Very long indeed. This is a lovely drink and quite a treat.
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4/20/2007 - psmith wrote:
Graduation wines (Columbus, OH): Apple and almond on the nose. Lots of mousse left but some real sherried notes. Good acidity to keep things from being heavy. Most would find this over-the-hill, I thought it interesting but not a great Cristal.
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9/1/1993 - sdr Likes this wine: 96 Points
Mike’s bottle. Amazingly good for an off vintage. Simply delightful bouquet. Delicate. Lots of vanilla. Evenly spaced stream of minute bubbles. Not too gaseous. Tastes like a Blanc de Blancs. Delightful texture. Very elegant. So lively and fresh. No hard edges. Perfectly mature.
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