Opened at Otto e Mezzo, via their Krug Ambassade Programme. P&P and enjoyed over a long lunch.
What a way to kick off xmas lunch! CdM is my favourite champagne of all time, though this was my first experience with 2003. White flowers and pears coming through at the start, but with some air the buttery / toasty / yeasty notes really started to shine.
Though it was wonderfully fresh upon opening, it was definitely 'rounder' than I expected - the signature CdM laser focused acidity wasn't quite there. No problem, just a slightly different style, and still an excellent champagne.
Will keep at this level for many years assuming good storage. Will it get better? Unsure - but would be very happy to try again soon to see where it's at.
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PnP. Subtle nose with less oxidative quality than typical aged Krug likely due to the BdB nature. Good maturity and very well integrated on the palate with an amazingly fine mousse. Extremely focused with such precision. Seems fairly straightforward and linear at first, but there's a nice depth of layered flavors, like a chameleon showcasing different qualities with each food.
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Wine Workshop: Clos du Mesnil vertical (Atera - 77 Worth Street in NYC): Darker than the '04 and with more of a 'woodsy' character to it. It's earthy and perhaps a hint of oak and again a wine that has lots of flavor on the front and then just kindof melts in the mouth. Another lovely one which evolved quite a bit in the glass.
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Light yellow; lots of citrus and acidity, but the acidity somehow mellowed; reminds me a bit of Cristal - same style / expression; long lemony aftertaste; a quite good champagne, but what’s the hype? - I simply do not understand it - plenty of champagne out there, at the same quality level, for a fraction of the price
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Quite sadly this seemed oxidized and largely devoid of much flavor. Good acidity and fizz this disappointed and hoping it was simply a heat damaged bottle. Painful.
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A Multi Birthday Celebration (Tocco - Winnetka IL): Small glass, brief note. Very rich, ripe and opulent with plenty of apple and toasted rye bread throughout. More advanced than I'd ideally prefer, but the power carries this through. I enjoyed this more than some other tasters tonight.
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Krug Clos du Mesnil – Complete Vertical 1979-2006 tasted blind (Singapore): Wonderfully mineralic nose with brioche, oak and citrus elements. There is a generous sweetness intermixed with the acidity, similar in style of the Comtes de Champagne of Taittinger. Excellent, looks like it survived the canicule well. 97+
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Wow, a glorious 2003 with no signs of heavy or roasted fruit. Rich, sweet and layered fruit that is so pure and dense, yet lively and ethereal. Great stuff and in a terrific window (though note I prefer my bubbles younger).
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Dinner at Nico Osteria: This seemed a bit odd at first - perhaps the juxtaposition of a really reductive wine after the very oxidative Selosse and slightly browned/butterscotchy Roulot. But it came across with a lot of sulfury reduction that took a little air to clear, but was worth the wait. Absolutely brilliant once the reduction clears, with amazing depth to the fresh citrus and white fruited flavours, vivid mineral depth and yeasty accents, and the Krug oxidative notes rather subdued and playing a background role to the bright fruit. There's remarkable acidity - much more than I would have expected for the vintage - and the overall balance and length are really impressive. Loved this.
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Dinner at Nico Osteria (Chicago, IL): The nose on this was crazy -- it seemed to be highly reductive at first, with a bit of a stink that definitely blew off with air. There's was a hint of something akin to Welch's white grape juice (in a good way), as well as a bit of a sweet creaminess. The palate reveals a wine with that classic Krug power -- rich and powerful, but balanced by its minerality and acidity. It's nothing like the 2003 regular (which I still maintain is quite below standards and shouldn't have been made). There is a filigreed quality here that the chardonnay provides, which balances well with the overall sweetness and intensity of this wine. Splendid stuff, but I would have to give the nod to the 2004, which has more of that raw racy power that I expect in chardonnay-based champagne.
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Savoury notes, yeast and bread. Despite my expectations for this all chardonnay champagne to be crisp and lean, it was structured and powerful, medium to full bodied, with no leaness, bitterness or underripe notes. Probably a sign of the warm year. This was a real treat. From TL
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Medium yellow color. Good acidity for a ripe vintage. Lemon, some toast, hints of coffee and chalk. More fruit forward at this stage. Develops in the glass. Think this will be best over the next 10 years.
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Ripe, oppulent with peach, papaya, apricot puree, with a sort of kiwi zip to it; entry is soft and creamy but quickly turns to meringue lightness with incredible intensity of flavor, good acidity but not as precise, and less acid than the '04. Powerful and long; further tasting revealed lemon curd, chalky minerality, extremely fine mousse, and a super very long finish. Although the ripeness was not what some were expecting, this clearly is a great wine, maybe will not be as long lived as the '04, but pretty much blew me away. With Jerome Jacoillot of Krug at Effervescence.
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Beautiful! The vintage ripeness lends the wine an open knit style that is at once approachable and enthralling. The wine featured lush fruit, seabed, flint, clay, and nuttiness throughout. Rich, firm, and balanced. Not something I would hold on to for more than five to seven years.
Tasted alongside the same producer's Grande Cuvée and 1996 Vintage Brut. The former held its own alongside it. The latter bested it by a significant margin, offering a great example of how the most expensive wine might not be the best.
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deliciously complex with apple, pear, and hazelnut notes throughout. it has good acidity and a strong saline component middle to end that really complements the warm fruit well. it's focused and vibrant, and is drinking much better than the 96 earlier this week.
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A real stunner, Very similar notes to back in Feb of 2016. A fine Montrachet with bubbles. Big fat rich ripe apple with piecing acidity and fine bubbles. Quite regal and intense. Impossible to guess this was from a hot vintage.
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Ken’s Birthday Celebration (Morton's Steakhouse - Northbrook IL): Starts off very rich and ripe with apple and baked apple with charming spice. This seems to get leaner and more energetic from middle through finish, transforming from a forward wine into a more powerful and firm wine. Enjoyable now with upside.
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From two magnums out of a total bottling of 500 magnums! White gold, curious richness and power. Batard Montrachet like! I then get mind bending notes of redcurrants and red Pinot notes which shouldn't be able to exist in a 100% Chardonnay wine but yet I got them. Very full bodied, really coats the mouth, bit of a brute at the moment but exceptionally long and rich but fantastic uplift and balance. Will be interesting to try this again in 10 years but hard to justify buying this over the normal vintage Krug.
2003 Burgundy Grand Cru Dinner (Iggy's, Hilton Hotel, Singapore): An unusually soft, ripe and expressive young Krug, but this was nevertheless a top-class Champgane. It had a lovely nose that just exploded out of glass with wafts of chantilly cream, rose water and ripe white fruit shading into almost tropical shades, even a bit of lychee in there I thought. This was such a floral bouquet, bringing to mind Pierre Herme's rose Isphahan dessert, with just a faint hint of savoury white mushrooms binging it back to more weighty territory. The palate was very fine as well, if not quite as put-together and integrated as the nose at the moment. It was very pleasing though, with unusual sweet cream flavours at first, and then weighty white fruit and rich lychee shades coming up along with a fresh citrus counterpoint with time - all this couched in sparkly acidity and very fine mousse. It did feel a touch soft and fleshy for a Krug Mesnil at first, but with time, the wine started showing a really muscular spine of underlying minerality that drove it into a long, long finish with savoury bits of stone and smoky earth notes lingering away. It really gripped the backpalate there. A fascinatingly different Krug. No harm drinking now, but I would be really intrested to see how this develops vis-a-vis other vintages over the next decade or so.
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Post-auction fun (Birch Road Cellar, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is immensely deep and expressive filled with baked apples, melon tones, biscuits, chalky tones, pears, yellow fruits, and a touch of stone fruits.
Taste: Full bodied with medium+ acidity. The acidity is pronounced, but still balanced with the feel showing a richness and depth along with baked apples, biscuits, pears, and stone fruits.
Overall: This was drinking beautifully already. There is excellent weight and concentration to this that shows off the quality of Krug. This is a very successful 2003 that does show off some of the vintage, but it is extremely well made.
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Clean, pure, razor-sharp expression of Chardonnay. Mineral and saline notes. Really manages the vintage well and with a great restraint and balance to the palate. Delicious young wine.
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Slightly oxidative. Very beautiful yellow fruit with deep concentration. With time, the nut fruit will emerge. Way too young to show off its potential. Needs time.
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Clean, oyster shell and mineral-driven notes with yellow citrus undertones. Very bright, and not showing signs of '03 ripeness. Not quite the energy of the best vintages of CdM, but still a very, very good wine.
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Delicious and finishes long. Would never have guessed 2003. Really good stuff but at this price....? For my money I'd take a half-case of the grand cuvee.
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Weekend with Eddie - Part 2 (Bouley, NYC): The color of this particular bottle is quite light, like a young Chablis. Surprisingly delicate, precise and elegant, white fruit, granny smith, lemon curd, light honey and strong presence of mineral. Very precise and delicate palate. I really love the freshness and purity though not as energetic and complex as the 98.
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Very mineralic, typical CdM honey, a lot of vibrant acidity compared to the regular vintage, salty, oysters, sea breeze, long aftertaste, finishing with pure elegant citrus, 94-95
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A special wine coming across like a great Montrachet with fine bubbles. This blew 3 Montrachets off the table on this night as well. Amazing purity in a fresh mineral driven style. So elegant with wonderful density yet sleek acidic bite and tiny bubbles gives this surprising lift considering the vintage. Round fat and Laege scale and so well balanced. This finish goes on for nearly a full minute. Wow!
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Great Burgundy Dinner (goosefoot - Chicago IL): Nicely floral start with super ripe apple throughout, with engaging citrus on finish. Just slightly lush, this has nice balance and very good textures. Very tasty right now.
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Drank from magnum and alongside Krug 03. Nuttier and slightly more backward than the normal vintage. I would still much prefer the 2000 version of this wine but this is still very good.
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A complete vertical tating of Clos du Mesnil. Richard Juhlin joined as special guest. 16 participants. It was not a blind tasting, starting 2003 and ending up with 1979. My rating average was the second highest followed by RJ.
The overall Top 5: 1979, 1981, 1988, 1982, 1996 (1981 was rated 7 times at 1st place, 1979 only 3 times)
My Top 5: 1988, 1979, 1996, 1985 and 1981
very ripe yellow fruits reflecting the vintage, small production, peaches, honey, relatively broad, fine acidity, long finish, brioche, balanced, I think not very ageable because of lacking aciidty, I will drink it over the next 5 years, 95
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Tasted in Krug event with Eric Lebel. Krug ID 413064. A rather rich and weighty blanc de blancs. A bit close on the palate at first but delivering more after 20 mins and then enjoy throughout the night. Good and vibrant acidity to balance the weight, quite round on the palate with long aftertaste. Very good champagne but does the price tag reflect the difference against other top blanc de blancs from Mesnil and nearby grand crus? 17+/20
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A private tasting (Restaurant Behrens Am Kai *, Düsseldorf, Germany): Impressive nose, ripe citrus, wonderful mineral depth but with much more nuance to come; wonderful marriage of richness, wood and piercing acidity, marries weight to elegance, lovely balance; long and vinous finish. Will age well on the strength of its extract, acidity is ample.
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Of all the Champagnes poured tonight (the NV Brut, 2000, 2003 and the NV Rosé), I liked this the most. Very clean, very refined. Soft notes of pear, a bit of toast, a very nice whoosh of bubbles.
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Krug Night with Aldo Sohm (Aldo Sohm Wine Bar, NYC): Purchased by Krug over the phone in 1971, the Clos du Mesnil is a 4.5 acre walled plot planted only with Chardonnay grapes. This vintage is marked by extreme hot weathers which made different plots of land yield different maturation levels. As a result, the berry picking span over 2 months than the customary 2 weeks. Aged for 9 years before release, this champagne pours a light straw color, almost like that of a Sauvignon Blanc, with thick legs and very fine beads. A somewhat austere wine, this blanc de blanc yields notes of toast, white peaches, citrus oils, comte, mint, chalk, tobacco smoke, slate and cream desserts on the nose. On the palate, the wine first caresses the tongue with robust masculinity, followed by a string of very fine bubbles and a mineral-forward backbone. Surprisingly for a vintage with very ripe berries, the champagne has vibrant acidity while maintaining an unctuous structure. On the palate, the champagne is dominated by notes of chalk, honeysuckle, leather, smoke, charred oak, brioche and smoked fish. With time, there are even notes of citrus oils. The finish is very long and spins with more smokiness. Although the wine is very young, as shown through the astringency towards the end, it surely shows the promise in years to come.
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Second bottle of the evening. Consumed after having been open for approximately 3.5 hours. Nose and palate dominated by soft pear, dry slate and oyster shell. Lost some of the vibrancy that it had with less air time.
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Surprisingly expressive nose for the vintage with light spice, chalky notes, spiced pear, light oxidative elements, nutmeg at the back of the nose. And with some air time, saline notes, seaweed and wet slate. Good minerality on the palate with light yeasty bread. Limited fruit notes. Went mouthwateringly well with fresh uni, introduced faint metallic notes when the two were combined.
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I was not a big fan of this wine. It was odd, with a cardboard-y note (not TCA), overripe fruit, and some kind of difficult to describe funk on the nose and palate.
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Bright yellow gold color with a very fine persistent bead. It's aromatically complex with very appealing hazelnut, citrus-laced creme fraiche, ginger, and and an earthiness that suggests spiced roast coffee grounds. On the palate, it's powerful, elegant, and impecabbly balanced with a delicate, super creamy mousse. It shows quince, ginger, honey, candied citrus, and subtle spice flavors complemented by a sublime minerality with long lemony finish.
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Krug Tasting with Moet Hennessy Australia (Sydney, Australia): 50% less production than a "normal" vintage in 2003 for this wine. Vanilla cream, smoke, orange peel and lime - not ultra expressive at the moment but there is enough there to be have interest and appeal. The palate is really good, it has a fine spine of acidity and is quite racy overall for the year. Drawn out with excellent length, this won't be incredibly long lived but there is definitely potential for improvement in the bottle.
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Nice, elegant Champagne. Amazing result considering the vintage conditions. Tasted against the NV rose, NV Brut, 2000 & 2003. I enjoyed the oomph finish of the Rose, which stood out to me. All very refined for the discerning palate.
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Subtle nose, bright pear, blood orange, opened up and became more toasty, moderate acidity, light bright citrus, almost lime, in sharp contrast to its vintage sibling.
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At a retailer tasting. This was a secret pour at the tasting which was kept under the table but my wife bonded with the woman pouring so we scored. Plenty going on and a definite step up from the regular 2003. Notes of eucalyptus, almond paste, fresh herbs and brioche. Fine minerality on the finish. This is the best champagne from the 2003 vintage that I have had and possibly the best produced by anyone in that year which is not saying much for 2003. 93-94 points.
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Dinner with the Best of Krug, with Olivier Krug (Northbrook, IL): Served in flight of Krug Mesnil 2003, 2000, 1996. Comes across as more floral and riper vs the 2000 and 1996, but also great spice to complement the fruit intensity. Good length and balance, I never would have guessed this from 2003 if served blind with its great textures and elegance.
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Dinner with Olivier Krug (Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Central, Hong Kong): Silver gold, almost like a NZ Sauvignon Blanc in colour. Very little bead when served in a wine glass. Nose is pinpoint, pinprick, intense high piano note purity and precision....then there is smoke and rich oak......heady, very complex and pure. Palate is a crescendo of the sensations from the nose..... fantastic linear purity, sharpness like a perfectly-honed Japanese ceremonial sword blade, great elegant balance of burnished copper and rich but high-toned caramel boiled sweets. Very fresh in the mouth. Great 'power without weight'. Tons of flinty minerality that shouts of its single-vineyard terroir. Huge precision and focus- obviously single-plot compared to the Krug 2003 Vintage drank alongside it. Some resonance but still very young....but lovely - like a young Montrachet with bubbles. After 2 hours in the glass it demonstrates even greater precision on the nose. 'Vivacious' is the word that kept coming into my head. Lovely. This will develop into a very special wine over the coming decade.
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12/25/2023 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened at Otto e Mezzo, via their Krug Ambassade Programme. P&P and enjoyed over a long lunch.
What a way to kick off xmas lunch! CdM is my favourite champagne of all time, though this was my first experience with 2003. White flowers and pears coming through at the start, but with some air the buttery / toasty / yeasty notes really started to shine.
Though it was wonderfully fresh upon opening, it was definitely 'rounder' than I expected - the signature CdM laser focused acidity wasn't quite there. No problem, just a slightly different style, and still an excellent champagne.
Will keep at this level for many years assuming good storage. Will it get better? Unsure - but would be very happy to try again soon to see where it's at.
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10/11/2023 - fcxj wrote: 94 Points
Fresh.
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8/9/2023 - shifter Likes this wine: 95 Points
PnP. Subtle nose with less oxidative quality than typical aged Krug likely due to the BdB nature. Good maturity and very well integrated on the palate with an amazingly fine mousse. Extremely focused with such precision. Seems fairly straightforward and linear at first, but there's a nice depth of layered flavors, like a chameleon showcasing different qualities with each food.
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2/10/2023 - fcxj wrote: 94 Points
Linear and energetic, quite zesty. (5355)
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12/29/2022 - rbrock05 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very good. But time to drink up
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12/6/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Workshop: Clos du Mesnil vertical (Atera - 77 Worth Street in NYC): Darker than the '04 and with more of a 'woodsy' character to it. It's earthy and perhaps a hint of oak and again a wine that has lots of flavor on the front and then just kindof melts in the mouth. Another lovely one which evolved quite a bit in the glass.
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12/31/2021 - Miceri Likes this wine: 92 Points
Light yellow; lots of citrus and acidity, but the acidity somehow mellowed; reminds me a bit of Cristal - same style / expression; long lemony aftertaste; a quite good champagne, but what’s the hype? - I simply do not understand it - plenty of champagne out there, at the same quality level, for a fraction of the price
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6/30/2021 - KenK Does not like this wine:
Quite sadly this seemed oxidized and largely devoid of much flavor. Good acidity and fizz this disappointed and hoping it was simply a heat damaged bottle. Painful.
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6/30/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
A Multi Birthday Celebration (Tocco - Winnetka IL): Small glass, brief note. Very rich, ripe and opulent with plenty of apple and toasted rye bread throughout. More advanced than I'd ideally prefer, but the power carries this through. I enjoyed this more than some other tasters tonight.
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3/10/2021 - Collector1855 wrote: 97 Points
Krug Clos du Mesnil – Complete Vertical 1979-2006 tasted blind (Singapore): Wonderfully mineralic nose with brioche, oak and citrus elements. There is a generous sweetness intermixed with the acidity, similar in style of the Comtes de Champagne of Taittinger. Excellent, looks like it survived the canicule well. 97+
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9/20/2020 - aquacongas wrote: 97 Points
Complete Vertical tasting of Clos du Mesnil en Magnum with Olivier Krug (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Complete Clos du Mesnil Magnum tasting, all bottles opened 3 Hours before, not blind
Again very convincing. Tropical fruits, lime apricot, honey, roasted macadamia. 97+
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5/30/2019 - fcxj wrote: 94 Points
Jasper Rousseau Chambertin. Classic, yeasty aromatics. Lively.
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4/23/2019 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
Wow, a glorious 2003 with no signs of heavy or roasted fruit. Rich, sweet and layered fruit that is so pure and dense, yet lively and ethereal. Great stuff and in a terrific window (though note I prefer my bubbles younger).
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4/23/2019 - salil wrote: 95 Points
Dinner at Nico Osteria: This seemed a bit odd at first - perhaps the juxtaposition of a really reductive wine after the very oxidative Selosse and slightly browned/butterscotchy Roulot. But it came across with a lot of sulfury reduction that took a little air to clear, but was worth the wait. Absolutely brilliant once the reduction clears, with amazing depth to the fresh citrus and white fruited flavours, vivid mineral depth and yeasty accents, and the Krug oxidative notes rather subdued and playing a background role to the bright fruit. There's remarkable acidity - much more than I would have expected for the vintage - and the overall balance and length are really impressive. Loved this.
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4/23/2019 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Dinner at Nico Osteria (Chicago, IL): The nose on this was crazy -- it seemed to be highly reductive at first, with a bit of a stink that definitely blew off with air. There's was a hint of something akin to Welch's white grape juice (in a good way), as well as a bit of a sweet creaminess. The palate reveals a wine with that classic Krug power -- rich and powerful, but balanced by its minerality and acidity. It's nothing like the 2003 regular (which I still maintain is quite below standards and shouldn't have been made). There is a filigreed quality here that the chardonnay provides, which balances well with the overall sweetness and intensity of this wine. Splendid stuff, but I would have to give the nod to the 2004, which has more of that raw racy power that I expect in chardonnay-based champagne.
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2/21/2019 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
Alvin Birthday. Ripe, fatty and fruity. (1630)
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2/5/2019 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 97 Points
Savoury notes, yeast and bread. Despite my expectations for this all chardonnay champagne to be crisp and lean, it was structured and powerful, medium to full bodied, with no leaness, bitterness or underripe notes. Probably a sign of the warm year. This was a real treat. From TL
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1/19/2019 - Elvis1969 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Mer Krug-karaktär än Clos du Mesnil-karaktär kanske men ett väldigt bra vin.
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7/1/2018 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium yellow color. Good acidity for a ripe vintage. Lemon, some toast, hints of coffee and chalk. More fruit forward at this stage. Develops in the glass. Think this will be best over the next 10 years.
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5/4/2018 - peternelson wrote: 97 Points
Ripe, oppulent with peach, papaya, apricot puree, with a sort of kiwi zip to it; entry is soft and creamy but quickly turns to meringue lightness with incredible intensity of flavor, good acidity but not as precise, and less acid than the '04. Powerful and long; further tasting revealed lemon curd, chalky minerality, extremely fine mousse, and a super very long finish. Although the ripeness was not what some were expecting, this clearly is a great wine, maybe will not be as long lived as the '04, but pretty much blew me away. With Jerome Jacoillot of Krug at Effervescence.
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2/16/2018 - Motz wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful! The vintage ripeness lends the wine an open knit style that is at once approachable and enthralling. The wine featured lush fruit, seabed, flint, clay, and nuttiness throughout. Rich, firm, and balanced. Not something I would hold on to for more than five to seven years.
Tasted alongside the same producer's Grande Cuvée and 1996 Vintage Brut. The former held its own alongside it. The latter bested it by a significant margin, offering a great example of how the most expensive wine might not be the best.
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12/17/2017 - kr522 wrote: 95 Points
deliciously complex with apple, pear, and hazelnut notes throughout. it has good acidity and a strong saline component middle to end that really complements the warm fruit well. it's focused and vibrant, and is drinking much better than the 96 earlier this week.
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12/9/2017 - KenK Likes this wine: 95 Points
A real stunner, Very similar notes to back in Feb of 2016. A fine Montrachet with bubbles. Big fat rich ripe apple with piecing acidity and fine bubbles. Quite regal and intense. Impossible to guess this was from a hot vintage.
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12/6/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Ken’s Birthday Celebration (Morton's Steakhouse - Northbrook IL): Starts off very rich and ripe with apple and baked apple with charming spice. This seems to get leaner and more energetic from middle through finish, transforming from a forward wine into a more powerful and firm wine. Enjoyable now with upside.
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9/6/2017 - dchain wrote: 94 Points
From two magnums out of a total bottling of 500 magnums! White gold, curious richness and power. Batard Montrachet like! I then get mind bending notes of redcurrants and red Pinot notes which shouldn't be able to exist in a 100% Chardonnay wine but yet I got them. Very full bodied, really coats the mouth, bit of a brute at the moment but exceptionally long and rich but fantastic uplift and balance. Will be interesting to try this again in 10 years but hard to justify buying this over the normal vintage Krug.
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5/19/2017 - jhngo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very drinkable young.
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4/1/2017 - rnellans wrote: 94 Points
Great fruit, adequate acidity. Not as complex as 86. Nice length.
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2/27/2017 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
2003 Burgundy Grand Cru Dinner (Iggy's, Hilton Hotel, Singapore): An unusually soft, ripe and expressive young Krug, but this was nevertheless a top-class Champgane. It had a lovely nose that just exploded out of glass with wafts of chantilly cream, rose water and ripe white fruit shading into almost tropical shades, even a bit of lychee in there I thought. This was such a floral bouquet, bringing to mind Pierre Herme's rose Isphahan dessert, with just a faint hint of savoury white mushrooms binging it back to more weighty territory. The palate was very fine as well, if not quite as put-together and integrated as the nose at the moment. It was very pleasing though, with unusual sweet cream flavours at first, and then weighty white fruit and rich lychee shades coming up along with a fresh citrus counterpoint with time - all this couched in sparkly acidity and very fine mousse. It did feel a touch soft and fleshy for a Krug Mesnil at first, but with time, the wine started showing a really muscular spine of underlying minerality that drove it into a long, long finish with savoury bits of stone and smoky earth notes lingering away. It really gripped the backpalate there. A fascinatingly different Krug. No harm drinking now, but I would be really intrested to see how this develops vis-a-vis other vintages over the next decade or so.
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2/19/2017 - clayfu wrote:
Night two: No more rain but a lot more Rousseau - a story of Fred's birthday in Orange County (J Zhou): while this wine had loads of opulent fruit in it, it was missing the acidity that I want from Mesnil. Even in 98/2000 where there was big fruit there was still acidity to cut through it.
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2/11/2017 - KeithAkers wrote: 95 Points
Post-auction fun (Birch Road Cellar, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is immensely deep and expressive filled with baked apples, melon tones, biscuits, chalky tones, pears, yellow fruits, and a touch of stone fruits.
Taste: Full bodied with medium+ acidity. The acidity is pronounced, but still balanced with the feel showing a richness and depth along with baked apples, biscuits, pears, and stone fruits.
Overall: This was drinking beautifully already. There is excellent weight and concentration to this that shows off the quality of Krug. This is a very successful 2003 that does show off some of the vintage, but it is extremely well made.
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2/11/2017 - psmith wrote: 95 Points
Clean, pure, razor-sharp expression of Chardonnay. Mineral and saline notes. Really manages the vintage well and with a great restraint and balance to the palate. Delicious young wine.
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9/13/2016 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
Light effervescence. Yellow fruit, quite primary with slight nuttiness. Pretty balanced with nice acidity and length. Early days, needs more time.
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9/13/2016 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Slightly oxidative. Very beautiful yellow fruit with deep concentration. With time, the nut fruit will emerge. Way too young to show off its potential. Needs time.
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7/30/2016 - psmith wrote: 94 Points
Clean, oyster shell and mineral-driven notes with yellow citrus undertones. Very bright, and not showing signs of '03 ripeness. Not quite the energy of the best vintages of CdM, but still a very, very good wine.
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7/30/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Krug Summer Tasting (Knightsbridge - Northbrook IL): Floral and ripe with some toasted brioche and wonderful spice, slightly sweet. Very meaty concentration for Chardonnay. Very good now.
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4/22/2016 - bconly Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious and finishes long. Would never have guessed 2003. Really good stuff but at this price....? For my money I'd take a half-case of the grand cuvee.
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4/16/2016 - dcwino wrote: 96 Points
Weekend with Eddie - Part 2 (Bouley, NYC): The color of this particular bottle is quite light, like a young Chablis. Surprisingly delicate, precise and elegant, white fruit, granny smith, lemon curd, light honey and strong presence of mineral. Very precise and delicate palate. I really love the freshness and purity though not as energetic and complex as the 98.
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3/10/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very mineralic, typical CdM honey, a lot of vibrant acidity compared to the regular vintage, salty, oysters, sea breeze, long aftertaste, finishing with pure elegant citrus, 94-95
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2/18/2016 - KenK Likes this wine: 96 Points
A special wine coming across like a great Montrachet with fine bubbles. This blew 3 Montrachets off the table on this night as well. Amazing purity in a fresh mineral driven style. So elegant with wonderful density yet sleek acidic bite and tiny bubbles gives this surprising lift considering the vintage. Round fat and Laege scale and so well balanced. This finish goes on for nearly a full minute. Wow!
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2/18/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Great Burgundy Dinner (goosefoot - Chicago IL): Nicely floral start with super ripe apple throughout, with engaging citrus on finish. Just slightly lush, this has nice balance and very good textures. Very tasty right now.
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2/4/2016 - Pacalet Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank from magnum and alongside Krug 03. Nuttier and slightly more backward than the normal vintage. I would still much prefer the 2000 version of this wine but this is still very good.
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12/5/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
A complete vertical tating of Clos du Mesnil. Richard Juhlin joined as special guest. 16 participants. It was not a blind tasting, starting 2003 and ending up with 1979. My rating average was the second highest followed by RJ.
The overall Top 5: 1979, 1981, 1988, 1982, 1996 (1981 was rated 7 times at 1st place, 1979 only 3 times)
My Top 5: 1988, 1979, 1996, 1985 and 1981
very ripe yellow fruits reflecting the vintage, small production, peaches, honey, relatively broad, fine acidity, long finish, brioche, balanced, I think not very ageable because of lacking aciidty, I will drink it over the next 5 years, 95
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11/17/2015 - derekastoria Likes this wine:
Tasted in Krug event with Eric Lebel. Krug ID 413064. A rather rich and weighty blanc de blancs. A bit close on the palate at first but delivering more after 20 mins and then enjoy throughout the night. Good and vibrant acidity to balance the weight, quite round on the palate with long aftertaste. Very good champagne but does the price tag reflect the difference against other top blanc de blancs from Mesnil and nearby grand crus? 17+/20
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10/30/2015 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 96 Points
A private tasting (Restaurant Behrens Am Kai *, Düsseldorf, Germany): Impressive nose, ripe citrus, wonderful mineral depth but with much more nuance to come; wonderful marriage of richness, wood and piercing acidity, marries weight to elegance, lovely balance; long and vinous finish. Will age well on the strength of its extract, acidity is ample.
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10/19/2015 - cookiefiend wrote:
Of all the Champagnes poured tonight (the NV Brut, 2000, 2003 and the NV Rosé), I liked this the most. Very clean, very refined. Soft notes of pear, a bit of toast, a very nice whoosh of bubbles.
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10/15/2015 - emzee.mc wrote: 95 Points
Krug Night with Aldo Sohm (Aldo Sohm Wine Bar, NYC): Purchased by Krug over the phone in 1971, the Clos du Mesnil is a 4.5 acre walled plot planted only with Chardonnay grapes. This vintage is marked by extreme hot weathers which made different plots of land yield different maturation levels. As a result, the berry picking span over 2 months than the customary 2 weeks. Aged for 9 years before release, this champagne pours a light straw color, almost like that of a Sauvignon Blanc, with thick legs and very fine beads. A somewhat austere wine, this blanc de blanc yields notes of toast, white peaches, citrus oils, comte, mint, chalk, tobacco smoke, slate and cream desserts on the nose. On the palate, the wine first caresses the tongue with robust masculinity, followed by a string of very fine bubbles and a mineral-forward backbone. Surprisingly for a vintage with very ripe berries, the champagne has vibrant acidity while maintaining an unctuous structure. On the palate, the champagne is dominated by notes of chalk, honeysuckle, leather, smoke, charred oak, brioche and smoked fish. With time, there are even notes of citrus oils. The finish is very long and spins with more smokiness. Although the wine is very young, as shown through the astringency towards the end, it surely shows the promise in years to come.
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9/25/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Second bottle of the evening. Consumed after having been open for approximately 3.5 hours. Nose and palate dominated by soft pear, dry slate and oyster shell. Lost some of the vibrancy that it had with less air time.
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9/25/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Surprisingly expressive nose for the vintage with light spice, chalky notes, spiced pear, light oxidative elements, nutmeg at the back of the nose. And with some air time, saline notes, seaweed and wet slate. Good minerality on the palate with light yeasty bread. Limited fruit notes. Went mouthwateringly well with fresh uni, introduced faint metallic notes when the two were combined.
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7/10/2015 - mjg87 wrote:
I was not a big fan of this wine. It was odd, with a cardboard-y note (not TCA), overripe fruit, and some kind of difficult to describe funk on the nose and palate.
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7/10/2015 - BradE wrote:
Farve-a-thon 4.0: My first bottle of 03 Mesnil, and it didn't move me.
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5/20/2015 - Martin Redmond wrote: 95 Points
Bright yellow gold color with a very fine persistent bead. It's aromatically complex with very appealing hazelnut, citrus-laced creme fraiche, ginger, and and an earthiness that suggests spiced roast coffee grounds. On the palate, it's powerful, elegant, and impecabbly balanced with a delicate, super creamy mousse. It shows quince, ginger, honey, candied citrus, and subtle spice flavors complemented by a sublime minerality with long lemony finish.
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12/10/2014 - CamWheeler wrote: 94 Points
Krug Tasting with Moet Hennessy Australia (Sydney, Australia): 50% less production than a "normal" vintage in 2003 for this wine. Vanilla cream, smoke, orange peel and lime - not ultra expressive at the moment but there is enough there to be have interest and appeal. The palate is really good, it has a fine spine of acidity and is quite racy overall for the year. Drawn out with excellent length, this won't be incredibly long lived but there is definitely potential for improvement in the bottle.
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12/4/2014 - dlduchon Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice, elegant Champagne. Amazing result considering the vintage conditions. Tasted against the NV rose, NV Brut, 2000 & 2003. I enjoyed the oomph finish of the Rose, which stood out to me. All very refined for the discerning palate.
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11/20/2014 - Bill Bucklew wrote: 93 Points
Subtle nose, bright pear, blood orange, opened up and became more toasty, moderate acidity, light bright citrus, almost lime, in sharp contrast to its vintage sibling.
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11/14/2014 - Vino Me wrote: 94 Points
At a retailer tasting. This was a secret pour at the tasting which was kept under the table but my wife bonded with the woman pouring so we scored. Plenty going on and a definite step up from the regular 2003. Notes of eucalyptus, almond paste, fresh herbs and brioche. Fine minerality on the finish. This is the best champagne from the 2003 vintage that I have had and possibly the best produced by anyone in that year which is not saying much for 2003. 93-94 points.
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11/9/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Knightsbridge Annual Holiday Burgundy/Champagne Tasting and Sale (Northbrook, IL): Tasting, brief note. Great floral start followed by ample apple and lemon character that is ripe but nicely balanced and restrained for the 2003 vintage.
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11/4/2014 - psmith wrote: 90 Points
Krug Dinner (Northbrook, IL): Round, bright, and with lots of energy. Tangy citrus on the palate; finishes a bit aggressive. Needs time.
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11/4/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with the Best of Krug, with Olivier Krug (Northbrook, IL): Served in flight of Krug Mesnil 2003, 2000, 1996. Comes across as more floral and riper vs the 2000 and 1996, but also great spice to complement the fruit intensity. Good length and balance, I never would have guessed this from 2003 if served blind with its great textures and elegance.
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10/14/2014 - fcxj wrote: 94 Points
Special
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10/14/2014 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dinner with Olivier Krug (Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Central, Hong Kong): Silver gold, almost like a NZ Sauvignon Blanc in colour. Very little bead when served in a wine glass. Nose is pinpoint, pinprick, intense high piano note purity and precision....then there is smoke and rich oak......heady, very complex and pure. Palate is a crescendo of the sensations from the nose..... fantastic linear purity, sharpness like a perfectly-honed Japanese ceremonial sword blade, great elegant balance of burnished copper and rich but high-toned caramel boiled sweets. Very fresh in the mouth. Great 'power without weight'. Tons of flinty minerality that shouts of its single-vineyard terroir. Huge precision and focus- obviously single-plot compared to the Krug 2003 Vintage drank alongside it. Some resonance but still very young....but lovely - like a young Montrachet with bubbles. After 2 hours in the glass it demonstrates even greater precision on the nose. 'Vivacious' is the word that kept coming into my head. Lovely. This will develop into a very special wine over the coming decade.
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