216016. Exactly as I remember it from a month ago. Yes, this is outstanding Champagne, but there's something about this that doesn't taste particularly Kruggy (in hindsight, with air, it did start to show more and more of that power, but I think this is perhaps a question of time). Heaps of acidity, a little bit of green apple, and a great zing. It doesn't quite have the broad shoulders of Krug right now, but the power is there.
116006. This is good, but simply too young. It's a tight and dense coil of energy right now. Lots of citrus extract on the palate, this almost veers towards some lemons or limes. It's got power for sure, as well as some of that characteristic Krug richness. Air tames the acids a little. This is much too young; time is needed to round out the palate and let the acids cool down a little. No denying the quality of this wine though; it is certainly head and shoulders above the 2003, but eclipsed by the monumental 2002.
415064. This wine has been hyped up to me for years now, and for whatever reason I never had a chance to try it until today. It's exactly what I expected it to be -- dense fruit, bruised apple, raw Krug power. As with most of the wines tonight, this was still incredibly tight, and it needed much more air to ease up, but this has that perfect balance of fruit, acidity, and raw power. And while I loved this wine a lot, it was not the easiest drinking wine right now.
214031. As far as the Grande Cuvee goes, this bottle was even better than the 164eme, at least in that it was much more approachable. It gives up its charms easily, and this embodies, in my mind, the bottle of "ready" Grande Cuvee. It's a softer and approachable champagne, and but the Krug concentration and power are all there. The lemony acidity of the 2004 vintage is here in spades, but I think the added extra juice does a lot of work to round out this wine. An iteration of the Grande Cuvee very much to my taste now.
413063. I think it's quite weird to stick your nose in the glass, smell the mushrooms and earth of pinot alongside the characteristic broad-shouldered Krug signature. The palate was where this got interesting. I found the midpalate a bit softer and less powerful than the other wines tonight, but the finish was extremely persistent. In fact, that the wine just kept going on and on, despite the relatively lighter midpalate, was the most compelling thing about this.
114021. From magnum. This bottle of rose (my first, believe it or not), just showed incredibly well. Soft and delicate, but with the same Krug power behind it. There's a slight bit of earthy mushroom on the nose here, which gives this a little more wildness, but the palate definitely carries the house style. Broad and concentrated, with really good acidity that's not too bracing, this is an excellent wine for drinking right now (at least, this edition of it).
313051. From jeroboam. Technically the 160eme. It was extremely instructive to be able to taste roughly the same juice from different bottle sizes side by side (although this bottle was disgorged slightly later). This bottle shows much more like the 2004 vintage Krug than the 160eme, truth be told. Tons of bright acidity, white fruit, and potent acidity. More tight and less enjoyable now than the fifths of 160eme.
NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 164eme 93 Points
France, Champagne
216016. Exactly as I remember it from a month ago. Yes, this is outstanding Champagne, but there's something about this that doesn't taste particularly Kruggy (in hindsight, with air, it did start to show more and more of that power, but I think this is perhaps a question of time). Heaps of acidity, a little bit of green apple, and a great zing. It doesn't quite have the broad shoulders of Krug right now, but the power is there.
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2004 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 95 Points
France, Champagne
116006. This is good, but simply too young. It's a tight and dense coil of energy right now. Lots of citrus extract on the palate, this almost veers towards some lemons or limes. It's got power for sure, as well as some of that characteristic Krug richness. Air tames the acids a little. This is much too young; time is needed to round out the palate and let the acids cool down a little. No denying the quality of this wine though; it is certainly head and shoulders above the 2003, but eclipsed by the monumental 2002.
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2002 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 95 Points
France, Champagne
415064. This wine has been hyped up to me for years now, and for whatever reason I never had a chance to try it until today. It's exactly what I expected it to be -- dense fruit, bruised apple, raw Krug power. As with most of the wines tonight, this was still incredibly tight, and it needed much more air to ease up, but this has that perfect balance of fruit, acidity, and raw power. And while I loved this wine a lot, it was not the easiest drinking wine right now.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 160eme 95 Points
France, Champagne
214031. As far as the Grande Cuvee goes, this bottle was even better than the 164eme, at least in that it was much more approachable. It gives up its charms easily, and this embodies, in my mind, the bottle of "ready" Grande Cuvee. It's a softer and approachable champagne, and but the Krug concentration and power are all there. The lemony acidity of the 2004 vintage is here in spades, but I think the added extra juice does a lot of work to round out this wine. An iteration of the Grande Cuvee very much to my taste now.
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2000 Krug Champagne Clos d'Ambonnay 95 Points
France, Champagne
413063. I think it's quite weird to stick your nose in the glass, smell the mushrooms and earth of pinot alongside the characteristic broad-shouldered Krug signature. The palate was where this got interesting. I found the midpalate a bit softer and less powerful than the other wines tonight, but the finish was extremely persistent. In fact, that the wine just kept going on and on, despite the relatively lighter midpalate, was the most compelling thing about this.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé 95 Points
France, Champagne
114021. From magnum. This bottle of rose (my first, believe it or not), just showed incredibly well. Soft and delicate, but with the same Krug power behind it. There's a slight bit of earthy mushroom on the nose here, which gives this a little more wildness, but the palate definitely carries the house style. Broad and concentrated, with really good acidity that's not too bracing, this is an excellent wine for drinking right now (at least, this edition of it).
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée 93 Points
France, Champagne
313051. From jeroboam. Technically the 160eme. It was extremely instructive to be able to taste roughly the same juice from different bottle sizes side by side (although this bottle was disgorged slightly later). This bottle shows much more like the 2004 vintage Krug than the 160eme, truth be told. Tons of bright acidity, white fruit, and potent acidity. More tight and less enjoyable now than the fifths of 160eme.
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