-
NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvee Edition 170eme - France, Champagne
In line with my previous experiences with this fantastic edition. Rounded with more density than some of the earlier releases, but bright and fresh, and with more of the characteristic Krug weight of the older editions. One of my favourite editions in recent memory, and I'm glad to have a good amount of it. (93 points) -
2008 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut - France, Champagne
At this point I am thoroughly convinced that this wine needs to be opened a few hours ahead of service for it to properly show its stuff. This was much more in line with my pop and pour experiences, and while it was certainly very 2008 with that intense acidity, there wasn't the breadth and expansiveness that this wine can get when it's given air. (93 points) -
NV Krug Champagne Private Cuvée - France, Champagne
Mid to late 1960s release. For me, more interesting than good at this point. Scarcely any effervescence left. Dark colour, closer to a light sherry than champagne, with distinct brownish hues. Almost certainly a wine with incredibly high dosage, as the sweetness is very distinct. Lots of mushroomy notes as well. A pleasure to try. -
NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée - France, Champagne
Beige label; label applied February 14, 1989 (there's a date on the back of the beige labels, which if I am to understand correctly from Olivier indicates that the label was applied to the bottle). There was also a note in the coffret from RĂ©mi Krug stating how the house has had over 140 years of experience making Champagne which as in my previous beige-label note has me inferring that this was a 140-149eme edition. However, Olivier estimated that this was around the 139eme based on the labelling date. Anyway, all that technicality aside...
Unequivocally one of the best bottles of Krug Grande Cuvée I've ever had. This blew the 1985 and 1990 away in terms of wine from the same era. Clean nose, without mushroom/earthy elements; dried fruit, brioche, and slight nutty notes. Incredible depth and power to this wine, but still showing significant fresh acidity, despite the fruit clearly having started to turn towards secondary characteristics. On the palate this is again slightly nutty without mushroomy notes. Very long finish and a slight sweetness on the palate that is carried by the acidity. This is truly a wine that lives up to the modern tag line of "The most generous expression of Champagne." Olivier called this bottle the best bottle of Krug he had this year. (98 points) -
1985 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut - France, Champagne
Original release. Olivier mentioned a big winter frost that was so cold it burned the vines. This comes across as a little bit meaty and fleshy, with a generous fruity quality that is certainly very much secondary at this point. Rounded and plush, without as much tension as the younger vintages. For my palate, this is getting a hair long in the tooth (or at least this bottle was). (93 points) -
1995 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut - France, Champagne
Of the four vintages in the 1990s (1990, 1995, 1996, 1998), Olivier says that this is the one that tends to be favoured the most when the family drinks them together. It's not a showy wine, but there's just something really well put together about it. Very structured, but excellent balance between fruit that is more primary than not and the acidic tension. Still drinks quite fresh; it wouldn't be difficult to mistake this for something 10 years younger). Sturdy and stalwart; I'm a little sad that I missed the boat on picking these up for my own cellar, as this seems to just keep getting better and better. (95 points) -
2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut - France, Champagne
Another one of the vintages of this era that I neglected to backfill (I guess my Krug obsession didn't really start in earnest until around the 2004 or 2002 release). But at least this one should still be relatively obtainable. This is drinking very nicely right now; it's not as stern and structural as the 1995, but there's a very pleasant plushness to the fruit that helps buffer all those structural elements. Distinct note of pastry cream on the nose too. I don't think this has the stuffing to be a legendary Krug, but for getting a mix of freshness and maturity, this is the ticket right now. (95 points) -
1990 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut - France, Champagne
Original release, from Olivier's private cellar and hand-carried over the Atlantic for this dinner. Disgorged 2006. It's pretty interesting how despite the undeniable perfect provenance of this bottle that it didn't age quite the same way as the 1990 Collection (which was disgorged almost a decade later in 2015). Like the 1985, this was quite fleshy and rounded, showing fully secondary characteristics, with browning (not in a bad way) fruit and more prominent nutty and nascent mushroom notes. I very much preferred the absolutely brilliant 1990 Collection alongside. (93 points) -
1990 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut Collection - France, Champagne
Disgorged 2015. Stunning. Massively scaled, but so fresh and bright compared even to a bottle of the original 1990 release straight from Olivier's private cellar (disgorged 2006). Extremely pale in colour compared to the original release. This seems almost unnaturally fresh and vibrant, not just against the 1990, but in comparison to all the other wines tonight. The fruit shows no signs of turning secondary; it's almost still fully primary. I love the linear, driven acidity here as well. Drinking extraordinarily well right now, to the point that I'm really tempted to open a bottle from my own stash. (95 points) -
NV Krug Champagne Brut Rose Edition 24eme - France, Champagne
Corked. (NR/flawed) -
NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé Edition 26eme - France, Champagne
For my taste, this is probably the best rosé made. This shows just a slight bit of reduction on the nose (weird, right?), but more of a generously fruity character that seems to distinguish this from some of the more structural editions past. This comes off almost a little juicy. Rounded texture but plenty of chalkiness on the back end as well. A big fan of this. (95 points)
10 Likes
Great notes, thanks. Count me a fan of the 2000. Drinking lots of Krug is in google under “a good day”.
1 Like
I hosted a wine dinner at my home back in August 2022 and we had 2008 Krug and 2012 Dom Perignon to start.
I was thinking 2008 Krug would blow away the 2012 Dom. Not the case, 2012 Dom was in my opinion, much better. Maybe 2008 Krug needs more air as you suggested or possibly more time in the bottle?
1 Like
There was huge anticipation and high expectations for 2008 Krug when it was released, after all that waffling about on whether or not it was indeed going to be made, so it was almost set up to fail. That said, the first bottle that I opened, which I drank pretty much right away, was disappointing. Having tasted a bottle later on that had been open for a few hours, the wine drank completely differently, and the next bottle that I opened for myself, I opened a few hours ahead of time after taking a few small pours out of it. That was the key.
1 Like
No chance. 08 Krug is nowhere near ready to drink. Needs a decade before touching. 12 DP is drinking quite nicely.
Those 2000s should be good in a couple wks
Awesome experience. Congrats on attracting it.
Will be fun to contrast the Krug and Cristal. My money is on the Krug but I love being surprised!
A, for me the 90 Krug has always been a rock star from mag and very good from 750ml. And that’s been fairly consistent.
Dynamite tasting and super useful notes. Totally agree on the 95. It’s drinking phenomenally right now and was perhaps the best bottle of champagne I had last year.
I’m fascinated (both academically and personally, as I own a bunch of it) by where the 08 will end up. My money is on it becoming something special, but I can hardly recall a wine where the notes were so all over the map.
1 Like
The 2000 Cristal was superb the last time I had it, which was 2019 I believe.
Thanks for the cont’d peeks at 170 (and the rest, too).
Yes, this as it can still be found in the market (and lacks the hype of the 164 and 168).