($229; 55% pinot noir and 45% chardonnay) Light, bright gold. Spicy citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complemented by chalk, white flowers and a touch of smokiness. Taut, linear lemon and orange rind flavors give way to deeper pear in the mid-palate and pick up notes of honeysuckle and toasted grain with air. Still very young but shows excellent promise. Finishes with good mineral cut and sappy persistence.

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From magnum, the magnum we at Team Jancis won a year ago for being voted first ever winner of the Wine Website of the Year in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards. Wonderfully dense, meaty champagne with quite staggering persistence. More savoury than sweet although there's a certain creaminess to the texture. A very glamorous, sumptuous wine indeed that is already fun to drink, even from magnum, but which should continue to gain complexity for many years. Something burnished about its impact, and I'm not referring to the orange cellophane wrapper.  

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The 2004 Brut Cristal has put on quite a bit of weight since I first tasted it earlier this year. It is a powerful, structured Cristal layered with considerable fruit. Chardonnay seems to play the leading role in 2004, at least today. Cristal is often accessible young, but that is far from the case here. This is a serious, painfully young Cristal that will require considerable patience. Readers who are willing to spend some time with the wine today will find a super-impressive, complete Cristal. The 2004 Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. This is Lot L033331E100008, disgorged January, 2010.

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Floral, citrus and spice aromas and flavors are at the forefront of this filigree, delicate Champagne, which is harmonious and well-defined, with a long aftertaste of roasted nut and toast. Very dry.

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