A Krug lunch at http://delcampodc.com/

Esquire Magazine named Del Campo among the best restaurants in the US in 2013. I totally understand after sampling their cuisine today in Washington D.C. for a wonderful lunch on a snowy January day. Impeccable service and elegant surroundings set the stage for culinary delights, and I thank Maria Denton for inviting me to lunch. Maria represents Champagnes for LVMH and the theme was Krug. Two D.C.-based journalists joined me for this novel moment, a lovely way to get away from the cold weather. We enjoyed Krug Grande Cuvee, Krug 2000 and later on I sampled Clos du Mesnil Blanc de Blancs 2000. I had the two latter wines last at a vertical organized by Decanter Magazine in London: http://www.connectionstowine.com/champagne/krug-the-king-of-champagne/. The Krug Grande Cuvee NV - always a blend of many vintages dating back some 12 years or more - varies according to the blend. For example, in 2012 in London, the Krug Grande Cuvee was made from the base vintage of 2003. Today, its base vintage was 2006. It was disgorged recently after sitting on its lees in bottle for some 6 years. Quite an impressive blending and aging, which explains the attention to detail and very high quality - and high price. But very much worth the ticket of admission! Even in vintage editions, Krug uses all three grapes authorized in Champagne: not just Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but also Pinot Meunier. The jewel of today's trio was the Clos du Mesnil Blanc de Blancs 2000, made from 100 per cent Chardonnay of course.

• 2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  Although Krug does not stand for hierarchy, often serving first the vintage, then the grande cuvee (as we did for this lunch) this vintage wine has more aromatic substance and complexity than the grande cuvee. The 2000 combines fleshiness and energy in one bottle. The density is there, with focus. Citrus, mineral, wet stone, soft spicy ginger notes, hints of pastry. But what beguiles is the wine's mid palate substance and structure. Less Pinot Meunier here, the wine is dominated more by Pinot Noir from the 2000 vintage and it has an almost red wine corpulence. So much so that I almost ordered a steak but went for the prawns instead. It could easily go with a steak.

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• NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Krug two days in a row? That's not a bad idea. Thanks to Maria Denton, I was invited to a lunch today at the excellent Washington D.C. restaurant Del Campo to drink Krug. The evening before, we had enjoyed this same wine, but from an earlier cuvee - with a base wine from the 2005 vintage, which I preferred just slightly. The back label from Krug gives you basic information and a "Krug ID" (in the burgundy colored box) that you can type into the Krug website to obtain more information about the wine in the bottle. For example, when I typed in 113006 - the bottle we had for lunch - I learned that this particular bottle "left the Krug cellars to receive its cork in winter 2012-2013. That that was the last step after more than six years of aging in the cellars to acquire finesse and elegance - and that this bottle is an "extraordinary blend" of 142 wines from 11 different vintages, the oldest from 1990 and the youngest from 2006. It seemed to have a more youthful profile than the bottle last night, but was not quite as opulent on the mid palate. Still, it exuded wonderful precision and verve. I absolutely loved it and how it was able to stand up to the savory foods at the restaurant, from meat and mushroom empanadas to large prawns and spicy sausages.

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• 2000 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil 98 Points

  France, Champagne

  I tried this for the first time ever almost two years for a vertical in London, organized by Decanter Magazine. Still displaying a pale straw color, with small and focused bubbles. Ripe pear, light apple, lemon peel and floral notes on the nose, subtle depth, and less brioche or toast that I had detected in 2012. What impressed me most was a laser like focus that balanced the soft and racy elegance of the Chardonnay coming from Mesnil's famous walled vineyard. About 6 grams of residual sugar perfectly integrated.

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A fantastic experience and yet more proof that Krug is among the very best Champagne money can buy.