In demand: Cristal 2013 & Taylor’s 1896 Port
Louis Roederer’s Cristal 2013 and a super-rare Taylor’s Port from the 19th century have been two eye-catching new releases in recent weeks. Cristal 2013 launched in the UK with a RRP of about £220 per bottle, according to Champagne Louis Roedererowned importer MMD.
Liv-ex said merchants were initially selling the 2013 in bond (ex-duty, ex-VAT) at £1,700 per 12-bottle case. Prices varied, but its data showed 2013 was slightly above Cristal 2012 and cheaper than the 2008 vintage.
Simon Field MW rated Cristal 2013 at 96pts for Decanter Premium, and said: ‘The peak of drinkability is between 15 and 20 years from the harvest; so says Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon
[chef de cave and executive vice-president], but he has not spared the taster the wondrous early impression of perfection in the making.’
Speaking via Zoom, Lécaillon compared 2013 favourably with the highly regarded 2008. He noted 2013’s natural balance, and it’s the second Cristal (after 2012) produced entirely from biodynamically grown grapes. Production was 20%-30% lower than in 2008, however, due to stringent selection being required. Cristal is sourced from up to 45 top ‘lieux-dits’ plots, and the 2013 is drawn from 30 of these.
Elsewhere, Taylor’s said it was releasing 1,700 bottles of single-harvest tawny Port produced in 1896 from its house reserves, at about £3,950 each. This sort of launch ‘occurs only a handful of times in a generation’, said Taylor’s managing director Adrian Bridge.