At last! I’ve been waiting … and waiting … and finally … it’s here! The premiere of the long debute for 2002 Krug ‘Vintage’! Not long ago the 2003 was launched before the 2002.
Olivier Krug came to Stockholm to present this legend-in-the-making. But the evening started at the wine cellar Grappe for an aperitif …
apéro
APERO no1 | KRUG ‘GRANDE CUVÉE’ | KrugID 314046 | youngest ’08 | oldest ’90 | 127 wines | 11 vintages | 94(97)points
TASTING NOTE ‘This beauty was served from halfbottles. Krug’s nonvintage wine costs about $150. They themselves would rather call it a ‘multi-vintage’. Strangely enough, this exceptional wine is one of the Champagnes I’ve drunk on the greatest number of occasions—more than 200 times, in fact. Almost every time, some new element is revealed. Because it’s been blended from ten different vintages and forty-seven different wines from twenty-five crus, variation is understandable. However, I have only missed spotting it on one occasion at a blind tasting, proving that its basic character is unique. The extremely tough acidity, together with the heavy, rich Krug aromas, are the foremost clues. Always check how straight the cork is in order to decipher when it was disgorged. When young, the acidity can be too hard. When middle aged and older, the Grand Cuvée has a fabulously complex nose and palate, dominated by nuts and honey. The aftertaste is always long and majestic, like a great symphony.’
