The next few articles are going to have a theme running through them, and that theme is Champagne. Not only am I visiting Champagne on Sunday for a few days (a diary of my trip will be coming soon), but this week I got to try a selection of wines from the best producer there is. Krug.There are so many anecdotes to describe Krug, and they were flowing free throughout the day and throughout the literature on the table. “A champagne quite unlike any other”, “Krug starts where all other champagne stops”, “the expert’s choice”, “if you could taste the sunshine it would be Krug” (ok, so the last one is a friend of mine’s, but I thought it should get an airing!), but I have come up with one of my own. “Krug – it tastes ****ing delicious”.
Krug Grande Cuvee
A lot of honey, citrus and a little brioche. A lot of rich fruit, melon in particulr, with a delightful, rich, aged, round nose. Lime comes in, as does a spicy element – pickled ginger – and wet forest floor nuances. The palate has a pin prick mousse, initially a rounder wine, more like an old champagne, but then citrus comes through, making it light, fresh and youthful. The finish has a little mushroom and lasts such a long time, slowly dissolving in your mouth. A super wine.
Krug Rose
Oh dear, time for an admission! Before today, I’d only drunk Krug Rose once, not entirely sober, out of a pint glass, in the freezing North Sea gales in a garden where I shoudn’t have been as it just started raining. And I wasn’t keen on it then. Nearly four years later, I tried it again in totally different surroundings, and I still didn’t like it. The colour was salmon pink, tinged with copper, with a nose of rhubarb, strawberries and red berries, which then goes on to smell of dried tangerine. Some spice, and then a lot of citrus, has a bit of warmed strawberries, but then some lime pickle elements. I know that it is criminal to say this, but I really don’t like it. I just find it unbalanced and, well, cheap! And I wasn’t the only one at this tasting who thought this.
Krug 1998
For only the second time in Krug’s history, Chardonnay plays a dominant part of their vintage, and it shows. Very open nose, offering up lots of vibrant citrus, a little vegetal element too, then light honey and a little sherbert and lemon zest. The Chardonnay is even more apparent on the palate, with, what was initially a mature champagne flavour transforming to a lively, youthful mouthful. Masses of zingy fruit and a palate that goes on longer than a battery powered bunny. Lemon zest and quite a creamy palate with toast on the finish. Glorious.
Krug Clos d’Ambonnay 1995
Two grand. That is what this bottle costs in a shop and will be nearer three and a half thousand in a restaurant. This is the first vintage of Krug’s Blanc de Noir, and uber rare. The vineyard is less than a hectare, and this wine is entirely Pinot Noir, a sister wine to the Chardonnay only Clos du Mesnil. It has a round aroma, lots of redder fruits, some spice and a little bit of ripe raspberries and forest fruit. The pale has redcurrants at first, but then gets the ‘Krug freshness’ coming through with citrus, which I wasn’t expecting, cloves and a touch of toast and creamed mushrooms. The finish lightens quite a bit. Quite simply, a stunning bottle of wine.
Krug Collection 1985
The Krug Collection range are older vintage bottles that have been stored in the Krug cellars and released onto the market, which would give those fortunate to have first release examples of these vintages to compare a perfectly stored bottle of Collection with their own stored vintage. Sadly, I don’t have any ’85 vintage, so I’d just have to try the Collection on it’s own. A rich, honeyfest with lots of grapefruit, brioche, lovely sweet garlic cloves, new potatoes and lots of butter on the nose. A very mature, but still fresh, wine with more potato skin and pencil shavings on the palate. Honey, lots of citrus, nutmeg and pineapple tart. I went back to the nose after a while and got an obscene amount of mushrooms frying in butter with black pepper, tobacco box and a little pepper. A delightful example of an old champagne.
Krug Collection 1982
A lot of rich honey and mango skin, Digestive biscuit sweetness, with loads of spice and mushrooms. Some lime marmalade to and a touch of forest floor. Spent vanilla pod on the palate, with heather honey, lots of vanilla and some new potato and butter on the palate. There is a bit of rosemary stalk and some thyme too. I didn’t write much about this wine, as I was too busy enjoying this lovely wine.
Krug Website
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