2006 Louis Roederer Cristal

The 2006 Cristal is a rich, explosive wine that captures all of the natural radiance of this warm year. Ample and full-bodied, the 2006 is one of the more extroverted recent Cristals. As such, it will drink well now, even though it has more than enough body to drink well for another 20 years or more. This shows real density and tons of character. It’s a big wine. “In retrospect, we might have preferred a lower dosage, but the wine was quite difficult to balance in blending, so we had to go for a higher dosage,” Lécaillon adds. Dosage is 9 grams per liter. Disgorged: 2014.

Meaty, savoury nose with notes of orange peel and enormous complexity. Experienced winemaker Brian Croser, with whom I shared this bottle, thought it very mature whereas I found it still pretty tight! But hugely compelling anyway and obviously very much more subtle and deep-flavoured than the average champagne. Some mineral notes. (JR)

Jeroboam. Very limited production. Disgorged in 2016, dosage 9 g/l. 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay. 20% of the cuvée is fermented in oak. Five years spent on the lees. Very mature nose with a hint of lime. Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon suggests it smells like a great Meursault. A real throat warmer. You could easily take these three 2006s for three quite different wines. Long. Tastes sweeter than the other two. And something slightly metallic. Saline finish. (JR)