Krug Dinner

Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe hosted Seth Box, Director of Education for Moet Hennessy USA, and Kerri, Distribution Manager for Moet Hennessy, at Yusho for a dinner featuring Krug Champagne. Seth and Kerri were engaging and very generous with regard to their time, knowledge, and of course, the wines they provided. Pours were generous, and glasses refilled multiple times- even the Clos du Mesnil.

Yusho did a fine job with dinner, though I wish they would have been more diligent about the thermostat. We were seated in the back dining room away from the grill, and even there it was uncomfortably hot. Good marks for the food and presentation (simple, but pleasing to the eye); complete failure on the ambiance. The booths are also a bit of a tight fit, at least for those of us who aren't in the gym on a regular basis.

Domino and I were happy to be joined this evening by Mr. & Mrs. thelostverse. Good friends always make evenings such as this that much more enjoyable, which is no doubt the best part about wine.

While enjoying the Rosé, the team at Yusho provided passed hors d'oeuvres.

Salmon roe, takoyaki, garlic, scallions.
Tuna maki, cucumber, white sesame, celery root.
Uni, shiso, parsnip, nori.
Oyster, yuzu granite, daikon.
Okonomiyaki, duck, strawberry, bonito.

Mrs. TLV did not care for the oyster, while I enjoyed the okonomiyaki. We did not see the others on our side of the room.

• NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Pale salmon color. Notes of rose hips, strawberries, cherry and watermelon. Fine bead with bright acidity and flavors of strawberries, raw almonds and florals with a lengthy finish. Lovely red berry overtones.

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Steamed cod, lemon, almonds, battera kombu.
This was a very nice dish. I was particularly happy about being able to try the wine first, which was poured a few short minutes before the dish came out. This was the case with almost all of the wines, allowing for analysis of the wines on their own and then also with food.

• 2000 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil 96 Points

  France, Champagne

  I was able to keep this glass until the last course and follow it over a couple of hours. Pale straw yellow color. Aromas of baked apple, pear, vanilla, creme brulee, lemon chiffon cake and crabapple. Later on, aromas of florals, anise and bamboo- the bouquet changed every time you went back to it. Fine bead with a creamy texture. Flavors of vanilla, toast, apple and creme soda. Then the cod was served, and the lemon sauce on the fish really amped up the citrus notes in the wine. Great acidic backbone cut through the fish and cream sauce.

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Burdock, Asian pear, tobanjan, sesame.
2x fried chicken, machta, kanzuri, lime.

One of the best courses tonight, the two types of chicken were probably the top two dishes tonight and included a boneless wing and crispy paillard.

• 1998 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  Deep color. Toasted almonds and apple notes with a saline overtone to start. Evolved to include crabapple, almond paste, toast and creme brûlée. Bold, with a fine bead and flavors of roasted nuts, caramel apple, citrus and creme brûlée. Impressively long finish.

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• 2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Golden color. Aromas of cashew butter, baked apple, citrus and mineral. Bright acidity, not as rich as the '98, with flavors of apple, florals, pear compote and toast. Lengthy finish. 93-94 pts.

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Octopus, egg yolk, young potatoes, enoki mushrooms.
Whole quail, barley, miso, coriander.

The octopus had excellent flavor but was slightly overcooked while the quail was excellent. Very nice dishes for the wine.

• NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Notes of hazelnuts, toasted almond, Granny Smith apples and citrus. Medium bead, coarse by comparison, with flavors of yeast, baked apple, caramel and citrus. 92-93 pts.

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Pont-l'évêque tempura, onion, apple.
Grilled mochi, kabocha squash, duck fat.

These dishes were in the running for best pairings of the night. The pont-l'évêque, which I'd not had before, was like a restrained epoisses- on the ripe side, just a little funky- wonderful. Done in a tempura batter and with a smattering of caramelized onions, it was rich with just enough sweetness which played off the '89 very well. The mochi was like a soft potato dumpling that ended up tasting like a toasted marshmallow- terrific!

• 1989 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut Collection 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  Deep golden color. Aromas of cashew butter, caramel apple, brioche, toast and burnt creme brûlée. Lovely texture with a fine bead and flavors of baked apple, creme brûlée and marshmallow. With a little bit of time in the glass, vanilla and marshmallow notes appear in the bouquet while lemon and citrus flavors add complexity on the palate. Lovely caramel nuances in the long finish. 95+ pts.

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Tonight was a real treat. Thank you to Seth and the Moet team for their generosity in supplying so many bottles of these wonderful wines and to Matt and the team at Knightsbridge for putting it together.