2008 Dom Perignon vs 2008 Cristal

Had them both at different times, and wow, hard to describe. But Mel wanted to compare them, so last night we opened both.

Both wines are superb. I do not drink them on a regular basis due to price, but I drink decent Champagne routinely, as long as the price is right.

Both wines smelled fantastic upon opening. Both had fruit and bread, acidity and small bubbles. Both wines tasted just like I remembered them. But give the wines one hour or so to open up and there is a clear winner for me and Mel, and that was the Dom.

The Dom is simply playng on a different level. It is long in the mouth, and very complex.

Thanks for the comparison!

Noob question - do you pop and let it open up in the bottle of the glass? I don’t drink a lot of champagne but am opening an 08 Dom in a few weeks.

Both are must owns if you cellar Champagne! Fun side by…thanks!

Dan, some people will even decant Champgne to let it open up. I just open it up, leave it in the fridge, take it out for 30 minutes and serve.

I haven’t opened the 08 dom in a couple months; the last bottle we opened felt like it was starting to shut down.

Prefer the Cristal by a handful of points, personally, but the styles are very different of course…

Near the end of 2019 we did a similar comparison and came to the same conclusion (for now). I think in 20 years opinion may flip…

Right now I prefer Cristal with dom and cdc pretty much just a step below.

I was going to give my comparison on the two…then after looking at CT, I realized I haven’t had the 08 Cristal yet! The DP half a dozen times, but noted it heading for a nap in Sept.

Thanks! Guess it’s not quite as delicate as I thought.

Another who prefers the Cristal.

We had the ‘08 DP last night pretty closed to start. I stuck it back in the fridge during the main course, much better after being open a while.

We had the 2008 DP this past week, and I thought it good but not great, which is consistently how I’ve felt. I’ve directionally felt that way with 2008 Cristal as well (meaning it’s very good, but not exceptional).

Of the two, I strongly prefer the Cristal, though I think it needs age. The 09 is drinking better to me right now. In all my 08 Dom experiences, I’ve yet to be particularly impressed or excited. It’s fine, but unexciting to my palate.

Did side by side twice of the past couple years…for me Cristal is the current preference. But thankful enough to keep the comparison going for a few more years.

What a fun side by side for sure - and - know that many of us will relish the opportunity to compare these two wines for years to come - lots of fun! I’ve had the '08 DP a couple times and LOVE IT - went long for the most part. A bottle of the '08 Cristal is calling to me from the cellar along with a bottle of the '08 Cristal Rose - I’m afraid that I might like them even more… The struggle is real!

Also prefer the Cristal slightly but at the different price points Dom is the clear winner.

A friend brought the 08 Dom Perignon to dinner tonight to celebrate a business milestone, his wife’s second vaccination and an impending move to a better place. I have not had the Cristal to compare, but the DP showed beautifully. So beautifully that we had a hard time transitioning to the reds with the main course.

It seems a bit shy at the moment, but has lots of nice nutty, yeasty notes on the nose and a conspicuous mineral note to the palate. Seemed to me that this will be stunning in 5-10 years. I hope to share more of my friend’s half case.

+1 it’s more linear and acid driven

me, too, an exuberant orange creaminess and elegance in Cristal. Dom is tighter and more controlled by its acidity than fruit. Happy to have both.