Honestly, given its age, I had really high expectations for this so I was pretty disappointed in how it was showing. That said, Krug is Krug and in general, that's a very, very high watermark. But this bottle failed to impress. It was soft and in some sense a bit shapeless. Gentle fruit, but maybe more subtle and less cut and weight than I want in Krug. More on the white side as far as fruit profile goes, and slightly amorphous. All that said, it still tastes like Krug, and pretty delicious.
I've liked this bottle in the past before, but tonight I found this a little foursquare and lacking in comparison to all the other wines. Somewhat angular, and missing the integration that great bottles of this can have. Have to think this was in a bit a bit of a weird spot tonight, as I've very much enjoyed other bottles of this in the past. But of course, Krug is Krug.
I shat on this wine hard when it came out (after all, it was released around the same time as the vaunted 164eme, which honestly hasn't turned out to be all that it was cracked up to be), but with the benefit of 7-8 years, this has really blossomed and become a bottle of Krug that is worthy of the florets label. Dense, mineral, and structural, but impeccably balanced between its acidity and concentration. Toasty, biscuity, and unmistakably Krug. Wow.
Underwhelming tonight, and perhaps this will never really live up to all of the expectations. Certainly the hype was very strong when this was originally released, and I admit I fell for it too, and while I've had some good experiences with this bottle now and again, I think the expectations were originally set too high. This was a bit foursquare, like the 162eme, but with more racy acidity. That said, it wasn't brighter, so it feels like this is in a bit of a weird spot. Perhaps, like the 2008, Krug just... kinda whiffed the vintage?
I have generally loved this edition, and this bottle was pretty consistent with how I remember it. Softer on the palate, with more than usual fruit-based sweetness on the palate. This clearly doesn't have the acid cut of the 163eme or 164eme, and it's quite different in that sense. Similar to the 161eme in its plush, softer texture tonight, but more full, complex, and layered. Will this be a great Krug, probably not, but it's definitely very much approachable and enjoyable now.
A great showing today -- this was another Krug that I was not particularly keen on at release, but I think this has really filled out. It's a hair on the lean side, but you can certainly find the typical Krug intensity on the palate, with more of a hard-baked biscuity aroma on the nose. The fruit veers a little mature, but coupled with the acidity, it's actually balanced pretty well for a difficult vintage like 2010.
I dunno if I was being edgy or what when I called this one of the best editions in a long while, but at least tonight, this was an underperformer based on how I remember this wine. A bit more thin, with a relatively disjointed palate presence. Not particularly intense or rich, tonight's bottle ticked the boxes and that was it. Perhaps it's more of a younger-drinking edition (actually, that sounds like a plausible answer).
Really liked this tonight -- perhaps more than the others at the table. It's juicy and fleshy, and very much a heart-on-its-sleeve kind of Krug, but there's something really drinkable and easy-going about this that I really liked. And I think there might be even more there, given the fullness on the palate, that this will be one of the better editions to age for the long haul. I'm pretty happy I have a nice stash of this, though I won't be opening mine for a few more years yet.
Showing brilliantly right now. It's a more laser-focussed, leaner Krug, but with the few years since release, this has actually tightened up a fair bit and shows a good amount of the typical Krug toastiness. More on the acid-driven side, but the fullness of Krug seems to have developed here. Maybe I have in general been too pessimistic on these weaker-vintage-based editions (this, 166eme, 163eme...) as they've all been showing pretty darn well tonight.
I've drank a fair number of these in quarter-magnum, but haven't had a half in a long while. The smaller format has showed very well, and is amply enjoyable with a few hours of air. In fifth, this is a bit simple and shows a distinctly white-grape character that is often present in very young Krug. But given how nicely this shows right now in the "fun" size, I'm pretty optimistic about this filling out with a few more years.
NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 161eme 93 Points
France, Champagne
Honestly, given its age, I had really high expectations for this so I was pretty disappointed in how it was showing. That said, Krug is Krug and in general, that's a very, very high watermark. But this bottle failed to impress. It was soft and in some sense a bit shapeless. Gentle fruit, but maybe more subtle and less cut and weight than I want in Krug. More on the white side as far as fruit profile goes, and slightly amorphous. All that said, it still tastes like Krug, and pretty delicious.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 162eme 93 Points
France, Champagne
I've liked this bottle in the past before, but tonight I found this a little foursquare and lacking in comparison to all the other wines. Somewhat angular, and missing the integration that great bottles of this can have. Have to think this was in a bit a bit of a weird spot tonight, as I've very much enjoyed other bottles of this in the past. But of course, Krug is Krug.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 163eme 95 Points
France, Champagne
I shat on this wine hard when it came out (after all, it was released around the same time as the vaunted 164eme, which honestly hasn't turned out to be all that it was cracked up to be), but with the benefit of 7-8 years, this has really blossomed and become a bottle of Krug that is worthy of the florets label. Dense, mineral, and structural, but impeccably balanced between its acidity and concentration. Toasty, biscuity, and unmistakably Krug. Wow.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 164eme 93 Points
France, Champagne
Underwhelming tonight, and perhaps this will never really live up to all of the expectations. Certainly the hype was very strong when this was originally released, and I admit I fell for it too, and while I've had some good experiences with this bottle now and again, I think the expectations were originally set too high. This was a bit foursquare, like the 162eme, but with more racy acidity. That said, it wasn't brighter, so it feels like this is in a bit of a weird spot. Perhaps, like the 2008, Krug just... kinda whiffed the vintage?
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 165eme 93 Points
France, Champagne
I have generally loved this edition, and this bottle was pretty consistent with how I remember it. Softer on the palate, with more than usual fruit-based sweetness on the palate. This clearly doesn't have the acid cut of the 163eme or 164eme, and it's quite different in that sense. Similar to the 161eme in its plush, softer texture tonight, but more full, complex, and layered. Will this be a great Krug, probably not, but it's definitely very much approachable and enjoyable now.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 166eme 93 Points
France, Champagne
A great showing today -- this was another Krug that I was not particularly keen on at release, but I think this has really filled out. It's a hair on the lean side, but you can certainly find the typical Krug intensity on the palate, with more of a hard-baked biscuity aroma on the nose. The fruit veers a little mature, but coupled with the acidity, it's actually balanced pretty well for a difficult vintage like 2010.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 167eme 93 Points
France, Champagne
I dunno if I was being edgy or what when I called this one of the best editions in a long while, but at least tonight, this was an underperformer based on how I remember this wine. A bit more thin, with a relatively disjointed palate presence. Not particularly intense or rich, tonight's bottle ticked the boxes and that was it. Perhaps it's more of a younger-drinking edition (actually, that sounds like a plausible answer).
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Édition 168ème 93 Points
France, Champagne
Really liked this tonight -- perhaps more than the others at the table. It's juicy and fleshy, and very much a heart-on-its-sleeve kind of Krug, but there's something really drinkable and easy-going about this that I really liked. And I think there might be even more there, given the fullness on the palate, that this will be one of the better editions to age for the long haul. I'm pretty happy I have a nice stash of this, though I won't be opening mine for a few more years yet.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvee Edition 169eme 93 Points
France, Champagne
Showing brilliantly right now. It's a more laser-focussed, leaner Krug, but with the few years since release, this has actually tightened up a fair bit and shows a good amount of the typical Krug toastiness. More on the acid-driven side, but the fullness of Krug seems to have developed here. Maybe I have in general been too pessimistic on these weaker-vintage-based editions (this, 166eme, 163eme...) as they've all been showing pretty darn well tonight.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 170ème 93 Points
France, Champagne
I've drank a fair number of these in quarter-magnum, but haven't had a half in a long while. The smaller format has showed very well, and is amply enjoyable with a few hours of air. In fifth, this is a bit simple and shows a distinctly white-grape character that is often present in very young Krug. But given how nicely this shows right now in the "fun" size, I'm pretty optimistic about this filling out with a few more years.
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