yes?
That link asks me to log in.
So anywhere from '82 to '96?
I’ve had certain disgorgements/bottles with that label, which side by side, pancaked perfect bottles of '76, '82 and '88 Krug.
I understand there’s a code. My question: why not just put the damn info on the back of the bottle without a code?
I agree, but at least they’ve taken the first step.
A phenomenon I have not yet witnessed to this degree, but not a complete surprise. I do not have anywhere near Ray’s experience- but I have more than once found older bottles of the Grand Cuvee and Rose to be spectacularly good. These days I buy at least as much GC and Rose as vintage, usually more, just as I buy a whole lot more Vega Sicilia NV Unico Riserva than vintage Unico (pretty much 100% the former these days). Just as- with certain wines- mixing grapes and parcels often yields a more complete wine in the hands of a master, so does adding the dimension of mixing vintages.
Now that the Grand Cuvee comes in numbered editions that allow you to readily trace it to a particular release, older bottles (not as old as the bottle that is the subject of this thread- but older than the time when GC bottles started to be widely branded with a numbered designation) are being released solo and in gift sets where the GC base year matches the vintage of Brut, and in some cases Clos du Mesnil, that accompany.
The gift sets are not discounted in price, and when you consider the components along with occasional solo offerings, in my local market there is about a $100 premium for the 158eme and 160eme GC bottlings- or $260ish as compared with the $160-170 going rate for current GC editions. And so Krug is clearly aware that many consumers now appreciate the value of GC with age, and has essentially made it a “vintage” wine from a marketing perspective.
So $460 for a bottle far older does not seem so far fetched. Bummer however for those of us who have long watched for auctions of older GC and Rose bottlings- getting them for a relative song all this time.
I was bidding on this and thought my high bid was crazy, but others were crazier. I’ve been looking for the old gold label NV’s. If this auction is any indication, they’re now out of reach.
Cheers,
Warren
Pretty different. Old gold labels are still much cheaper than these. These don’t often pop up
Oh, I knew what it was; I was hoping others didn’t. I meant the pale label with the gold foil. '80s-96 range.
Cheers,
Warren
I’ve told this story before. In the late 80’s I was offered Grand Cuvee at half off wholesale if we poured it by the glass. I purchased a ton at that price and kept for many years. Sold a few to friends but drank most myself. The last bottle in the 2000’s was the best.