Krug Wines

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This is a fabulous edition of Clos du Mesnil. The pure chardonnay is magnificent with density and agility at the same time. Apple and mineral notes with cream and biscuit character. Citrus and hints of mirabelle. Chalky, yet stony at the same time. Layered, yet linear and really long. But remains subtle. The acidity is so precise and focuses the flavors and nature. Lasts for minutes. Even better than the 2004. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSThis delicious, youthful wine opens with notes of ripe apple, hawthorn, and cream suffused with a bright minerality. The texture is hedonistically creamy and supple, yet there is backbone here as well and enough substance to last for decades. The Chardonnay for this superlative Blanc de Blancs was picked on 14-16 September before cask fermentation and ageing 12 years on the lees of the second fermentation. Disgorged with an extra-brut dosage in the summer of 2019.Decanter | 97 DEC(Krug “Clos du Mesnil” Blanc de Blancs Millésime (Reims)) In the summer of 2006, the Clos du Mesnil vineyard was picked between September 14th and 16th. The 2006 vintage of Clos du Mesnil was aged sur latte twelve years and was disgorged in the summer of 2019. The wine offers up a beautifully ripe and pure bouquet of pear, fresh apricot, hazelnut, chalky minerality, fresh-baked bread, delicate floral tones and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and still fairly youthful, with a rock solid core, lovely soil signature, zesty acids, utterly refined mousse and a very long, complex and perfectly balanced finish. The 2006 Clos du Mesnil is certainly approachable today, but there are more layers of complexity to unfold here and it will be an even better drink a decade down the road. This is stunning juice. (Drink between 2021 - 2075)John Gilman | 97 JGSlated for release later this year, Krug's 2006 Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil unwinds in the glass with aromas of buttered citrus fruit, crisp green pear, warm pastry, freshly baked bread, apricot and licorice. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, the 2006's comparatively extroverted and gourmand bouquet is in contrast to its deep, chiseled and tightly wound palate, and it's here that the site really dominates the vintage signature. Long, sapid and penetrating, complemented by a pillowy pinpoint mousse, this is a brilliant Blanc de Blancs that has been well worth the wait. By the standards of young Clos du Mesnil, it's already quite approachable and can already be drunk with considerable satisfaction.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2006 Clos du Mesnil was harvested over three days, which is remarkable for a tiny parcel measuring 1.84 hectares divided into five blocks that are often picked over a wider timeframe. Soaring in the glass, the 2006 is stratospheric in its beauty. The richness of the year contrasts so beautifully with the flintiness and energy of Mesnil. With time in the glass the mousse softens, releasing layers of vinous intensity. Tangerine oil, pastry, lemon confit and marzipan all build effortlessly. The 2006 is sumptuous, racy and exotic to the core, with all of that richness supported by a phenolic, intense frame. This is Krug ID: 319030.Vinous Media | 97 VMA stunner, displaying all the lithe grace of a ballet dancer that belies the underlying powerful musculature. Sleek acidity creates a mouthwatering impression throughout, seamlessly knit with the fine, creamy texture. Expressive lime blossom and spice aromatics are layered with fruit flavors of poached apricot, dried cherry and a touch of passion fruit coulis. Long and minerally on the racy finish, echoing rich, savory notes of grilled nut and espresso. Disgorged summer 2019. Drink now through 2036. 1,381 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

The 2013 Vintage is a wild, exotic beauty. Apricot, passion fruit, lemon confit, marzipan, baked apple tart and a kiss of French are all amplified in a dramatic, vivid Champagne that captures all the pedigree of this great vintage. The 2023 is wonderfully complex and dynamic from the very first taste. Time in the glass brings out layers of dimension and captivating nuance. This is a fabulous effort. Krug ID: 124011Vinous Media | 99 VMOriginating from an October harvest, Krug’s 2013 Brut has turned out very well, delivering—against the backdrop of the slow, late-ripening season and another high-acid test, qualities rendered all the more evident by the house’s methods—the requisite aromatic plenitude and textural properties. Disgorged in early 2024 with a dosage of five grams per liter, the wine emerges from the glass with a deep bouquet of lemon oil, fresh apricot and quince mingled with nashi pear and brioche crust, complemented by a top note of lightly burnt buttered toast. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, chiseled and racy-fresh, structured around a spine of incisive acidity and chalky extract, concluding with a long, citrus-driven, saline-tinged finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RP

Extremely complex, showing dried apples, light caramel, brioche and flint with cedar, nuts and hints of gunmetal. Integrated, caressing bubbles. Medium-bodied with a laser-guided, compacted and extremely long palate that focuses the character and the flavors. So deep and polished. Tangy at the end. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSVibrant and rich, statuesque yet graceful, this lovely Champagne offers an expansive range of patisserie apple and pear fruit, grilled macadamia nut, lime and tangerine peel notes, with fragrant saffron, clove, espresso and mineral accents. A lithe, focused spine of lemony acidity and an underlying streak of salinity are enmeshed in the flavor profile, and the fine, satinlike mousse carries everything on the long, mouthwatering finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. Disgorged winter 2023–2024 (Krug ID 124003). Drink now through 2040.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe nose is immediately inviting, filled with toasted brioche topped with baked apple, pear and citrus peel, soft florals and spice for depth. The palate is generous and finely textured, balancing bright acidity with a creamy mousse that carries lemon confit, honeyed stone fruit enveloped in a nutty pastry. It finishes long, saline and utterly compelling, leaving a lasting impression of finesse and energy. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe NV Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition, based on the 2017 vintage, is every bit as exceptional as it was the last time I tasted it a few months ago. Beautifully textured, the 173ème offers a captivating mix of floral and tropical notes, with gorgeous richness and fabulous balance. Time in the glass softens the mid-palate nicely.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe NV Champagne Grande Cuvee 173eme Edition is bright and mineral-driven, crafted around the 2017 vintage with 150 wines from 13 vintages back to 2001. It offers notes of wet stones, custard, lemon rind, honeycomb, white peach, and citrus blossom. Full-bodied, it has power and finesse, with mineral texture and a long-lasting finish. It has fantastic spice as well in this edition, and it has excellent underlying acidity and tension with a great savory finish. Olivier Krug commented on the warm weather of 2017, noting that they were keen to pick on the early side in this vintage and were finished with their harvest when many others had just begun. Disgorged in early 2024.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDKrug’s recently unveiled NV Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition—accounting for approximately 80% of the house’s total production—performs well, particularly considering the challenges of the base vintage, 2017. That year saw considerable rot pressure in red varieties, making meticulous sorting essential; some lots deemed unfit for Krug’s standards were even diverted to distillation. The conceptual cornerstone of the Grande Cuvée is the use of the house’s vast library—drawing from some 500 options—to complement the base vintage and moderate the extremes of any given growing season. The 173ème Édition comprises 150 wines across 13 vintages, with the 2017 base making up 69% of the final assemblage. Disgorged in January 2024 with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter, it opens with aromas of pear, golden apple, lemon curd and early white blossoms interlaced with a distant hint of nutmeg. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, textural and charming, laden with tangy acidity and animated by a pillowy mousse, and it concludes with a long, saline finish. Compared with its immediate predecessor, the 173ème Édition is broader and more giving, while the 172ème Édition tauter and more incisive. As experienced Krug aficionados will recognize, the inclusion of reserve wines—which may have undergone malolactic fermentation—renders the Grande Cuvée more immediately approachable than the house’s vintage-dated Champagnes, offering a more generous drinking experience on release.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPKrug’s Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition is crafted around one of Champagne’s most traumatic harvests of the past 20 years in 2017, where rampant rot and lack of maturity forced extreme sorting at harvest time. It’s exactly the sort of year that plays to the house’s strengths in its reserve wine library and pixelated, parcel-by-parcel vinification, though. Together with 31% reserve wines dating back to the 2001 harvest, it’s a relatively forward Grande Cuvée, but not overly marked by the challenges of the year. There’s a juicy apricot fruitiness evident up front, enlivened by some brightness of ground pepper and charred grapefruit peel, with aromatic details of green coffee and a food-friendly dried mushroom savour following in the glass. The softened, cushioned mousse is already feeling nicely settled, complementing the sense of roundness and ease. There’s plenty of cooked lime Chardonnay focus pulling the palate into some length and intensity, even if the quantity of Chardonnay in the blend is not perhaps as high as might have been expected considering its relatively strong performance in the year; the reserves, too, bring a delicious length and intensity to the otherwise up-front palate. This edition may be pitched for earlier drinking than some, but will provide fine gastronomic possibilities in the meantime.Decanter Magazine | 94 DEC