Lauren generously offered the have me help her drink her Christmas gift, a 1990 Krug. I brought my bottle of 95 and Paul chipped in with the NV which unfortunately was corked. So we goaded him into chilling down the 90 Taittinger to round out the evening. All in all a great night with great friends sharing great wines. Life is good.
Instead of doing a full dinner we just got a bunch of items that go well with Champagne. Inspired pairings proved to be the Sturgeon caviar over creme fraiche on roasted potatoe slices, smoked oysters and brillat savarin cheese. I loved the subtle fishy saltiness of the caviar over the creaminess paired with the Champagnes. The smokey oily oysters also balanced out the bright acidity of the rich Krugs. The brillat savarin really took things to another level to me. After having tried this triple cream cheese with Champagne upon an online recommendation last year I was determined to bring it for Krug night. One of the best cheeses I have ever had it stands by itself quite nicely as does the 1990 Krug(or most any Krug for that matter) but taking a sip after a bite of the cheese set off the fireworks taking it to another level. Sometimes wine and food pairings work having a complimentary effect. Occasionally they disconnect your conscious brain and make your senses the center of attention.
1995 Krug Champagne Brut- France, Champagne
Tight to start with slight sulfur aromas. After an hour open it starts to bring out a strong nectarine component on the nose. Apples and pit fruits on a still very young palate. Some tartness and the trade mark powerful Krug acidity. I’m not as enamored with this vintage of Krug as many are as I don’t see the power and deep complex fruit that usually mark it to me. This is still an excellent wine though that I would recommend leaving alone for a few more years or open it and leave it alone for an hour or more before drinking.
1990 Krug Champagne Brut- France, Champagne
Terrific transforming nose that previews this wines maturity with strong caramel and butterscotch initially it continues moving into nuts, rendered butter and rich vanilla desserts. Perfectly balanced with plenty of creamy richness and a strong building acidity the palate seems to be at the cusp of maturity. Outstanding wine that will only get better.
1990 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne- France, Champagne
Provenance on this was a bit in question but it still gave a great performance. A sherried quality is immediately noticeable but didn’t seem to mar the nose which was intoxicating with its rich caramel butterscotch goodness. Though the fruit still seems bright it did lack a midpalate almost giving it a disjointed quality. The finish is still strong and tart as well as the fruit up front being strong. Given better storage this is most likely a knock out versus our only very good.
The '90 Krug happens to be my favorite champagne at this point. All bottles I’ve had were incredibly complex, deep, intellectual, yet, at the same time lusciously pleasing. I agree that they are nowhere near tiring, but are simply too difficult to keep one’s hands off of. Great performance on all fronts, in my opinion.
At first I was going to say that your 90 Krug seems pre-maturely advanced with caramel/butterscotch etc. After reading that those flavors turned into buts, I’m convinced it was an off bottle.
In assume you mean ‘nuts’ instead of ‘buts’. Don’t know what to say to this other than I suppose you don’t have a lot of experience with mature Champagnes? nearly everything I’ve ever tried past 1990 has similar types of notes.
Sorry for enjoying our “off bottle” though.
It is killer Champagne. I’ve been lucky enough to have it 4 times in the last 2 months and as recently as Sat. I never get butterscotch, but light caramel and loads of green apple for sure.
I usually get the buttered nut thing on older champagnes, but thats just me. I feel the 90 is still quite young.
Here are my notes from that evening. Loved the sturgeon caviar and the Brillat-Savarin – perfect accompaniments to this level of Champagne. It was pretty clear to me that vintage trumped producer in this tasting. I was very impressed with the Taittinger CdC. In the best of vintages, it can certainly hold its own against Champagnes that are twice the price.
N.V. Krug Champagne Grande Cuvée Brut- France, Champagne (2/27/2009)
What a bummer! NR (flawed)
1990 Krug Champagne Brut- France, Champagne (2/27/2009)
Captivating and ever-evolving aromas of Asian pear, baked apple, lemon tart, vanilla pudding, unsalted butter, butterscotch, freshly popped popcorn, and bread crust. Rich and refined with a laser-like intensity and precision. Palate of green apples, lemon, and almonds. Fantastic length and finish. Easily rivals the 1996 for one of the best Champagnes I have ever tasted. (97 pts.)
1990 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne- France, Champagne (2/27/2009)
In spite of the questionable provenance of this wine (I found it at Whole Foods), this wine was drinking beautifully tonight. Gorgeous and mature aromas of truffles, brown mushrooms, honey, caramel, graham crackers, pastry crust, sweet corn, and pretzels. Rich and zesty on the palate with refined notes of green and black tea, caramel, and honey. This is a stately wine. 95-96 points. (95 pts.)
1995 Krug Champagne Brut- France, Champagne (2/27/2009)
Intense and yeasty aromas of green apples, nectarines, candied lemon rind, melted butter, and salted pecans. Juicy and nervy on the palate with zesty notes of nectarines, lemon rind, caramel, and pretzels. This wine comes at you like an unbroken colt but you can see the potential here. 94-95 points. (94 pts.)
the 90 CdM and the 85 Krug Vintage Late Disgorged (Rare Wine purchase) are my high points for champagne.I’m a Roederer fan, but those 2 bottles of Krug changed my life…
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It was pretty clear to me that vintage trumped producer in this tasting. I was very impressed with the Taittinger CdC. In the best of vintages, it can certainly hold its own against Champagnes that are twice the price.