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Krug

1998 Krug, Clos du Mesnil 1.5L

France Chardonnay Champagne 1.5L Brut

Wine Advocate

96

Vinous

97

CellarTracker

94
/
1998 Krug, Clos du Mesnil 1.5L
Krug

1998 Krug, Clos du Mesnil 1.5L

France Chardonnay Champagne 1.5L Brut

Wine Advocate

96

Vinous

97

CellarTracker

94
/
0 In Stock

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With history dating back to 1843, Krug has surpassed every one of its cohorts from the era where negociants and the "Grande Marques" ruled the day. In today's world of the growers whose grapes had made the backbone of the most famous Champagnes now bottling their own, Krug has managed to create cuvees of individuality while maintaining a flagship - the Grande Cuvee - wine that is immediately recognizable, singular and superb.

Krug

After his early days at Jacquesson, the ever-enterprising Joseph Krug took his curiosity into his own project with the aim to craft the most complex wines even during poor vintage conditions. What eventually came from this exemplary vision was a large library of reserve wines, which helped to heighten complexity in some cases, and provide balance and consistency in others. Only the best grapes were preserved annually, and if there was quality and quantity enough to produce a vintage wine, that was done; still, some of the finest grapes were preserved to hold in case of a future poor vintage. This became a hallmark of the house, that still today can boast what may be the most impressive collection of wines from their numerous holdings from multiple vintages.

Born from this philosophy was the Grande Cuvee; though it went by other names early on (such as "Prestige Cuvee"), the idea remained: to release a consistently excellent cuvee with a house style. This style is one that has remained as memorable and desirable, while keeping with the trends. Truthfully, Krug has always harvested at peak ripeness while still finding the balance of acidity as it aids greatly the ability for the wine to age. They will talk about percentages of each varietal in their wines, but in truth it is more of an art than a mathematic equation, to create the Grande Cuvee.

In 1973, the opportunity was presented to Krug to purchase the Clos du Mesnil, which was an extraordinary parcel of Chardonnay that now creates one of the finest single-vintage Champagnes. This was first released by Krug in 1979. 1976 brought the Krug Rose, and in 1995 the Clos du Ambonnay joined the line-up of stunning wines, alongside the Brut Vintage cuvee which is released only in vintages that Krug feels are possessing of a unique character. Case in point would be the 2003 and 2011 vintage releases - each of these vintages in Champagne were scorned by one critic or another, and often deservedly so. Yet the 2011 Krug has drawn rave reviews for its balance, even in some cases exceeding the praise of the 2008s.

In summation, Krug represents Champagne in some ways in the way of a Recoltant-Manipulant (grower) in their exactitude and willingness to experiment. They of course have a "house style" in the form of the Grande Cuvee, but the individualistic nature in their single-vintage cuvees that few, if any Grande Marque can lay claim to.

Meet the Producer

Krug

With history dating back to 1843, Krug has surpassed every one of its cohorts from the era where negociants and the "Grande Marques" ruled the day. In today's world of the growers whose grapes had made the backbone of the most famous Champagnes now bottling their own, Krug has managed to create cuvees of individuality while maintaining a flagship - the Grande Cuvee - wine that is immediately recognizable, singular and superb.

After his early days at Jacquesson, the ever-enterprising Joseph Krug took his curiosity into his own project with the aim to craft the most complex wines even during poor vintage conditions. What eventually came from this exemplary vision was a large library of reserve wines, which helped to heighten complexity in some cases, and provide balance and consistency in others. Only the best grapes were preserved annually, and if there was quality and quantity enough to produce a vintage wine, that was done; still, some of the finest grapes were preserved to hold in case of a future poor vintage. This became a hallmark of the house, that still today can boast what may be the most impressive collection of wines from their numerous holdings from multiple vintages.

Born from this philosophy was the Grande Cuvee; though it went by other names early on (such as "Prestige Cuvee"), the idea remained: to release a consistently excellent cuvee with a house style. This style is one that has remained as memorable and desirable, while keeping with the trends. Truthfully, Krug has always harvested at peak ripeness while still finding the balance of acidity as it aids greatly the ability for the wine to age. They will talk about percentages of each varietal in their wines, but in truth it is more of an art than a mathematic equation, to create the Grande Cuvee.

In 1973, the opportunity was presented to Krug to purchase the Clos du Mesnil, which was an extraordinary parcel of Chardonnay that now creates one of the finest single-vintage Champagnes. This was first released by Krug in 1979. 1976 brought the Krug Rose, and in 1995 the Clos du Ambonnay joined the line-up of stunning wines, alongside the Brut Vintage cuvee which is released only in vintages that Krug feels are possessing of a unique character. Case in point would be the 2003 and 2011 vintage releases - each of these vintages in Champagne were scorned by one critic or another, and often deservedly so. Yet the 2011 Krug has drawn rave reviews for its balance, even in some cases exceeding the praise of the 2008s.

In summation, Krug represents Champagne in some ways in the way of a Recoltant-Manipulant (grower) in their exactitude and willingness to experiment. They of course have a "house style" in the form of the Grande Cuvee, but the individualistic nature in their single-vintage cuvees that few, if any Grande Marque can lay claim to.

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

96

The 1998 Brut Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil has come together beautifully since I tasted it last year. This is a remarkably taut, focused bottle of the 1998 with great energy and minerality in its precise, crystalline fruit. I don’t expect the 1998 to be one of the longest-lived Mesnils, but if this bottle is any indication, it should continue to drink well for a number of years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028. My visit to Krug earlier this year was fascinating, as I had a chance to taste a number of 2009s and reserve wines. A tank sample of the 2009 Clos du Mesnil was one of the most exciting, viscerally thrilling wines of the trip, and remained etched on my mind for several weeks. I also had a chance to glance over newly found, hand-written original records that document the exact village breakdown of all the grapes Krug purchased in each vintage going back to 1928. This year I tasted a number of fabulous wines from bottle. Unfortunately I can’t include my impressions on Krug’s NV Champagnes because of the house’s insistence on not providing disgorgement dates for those wines. I was reminded of the importance of this information when I tasted a fabulous, utterly spellbinding bottle of the NV Rose. It was a truly beautiful Champagne, but owing to its recent disgorgement it needed at least a few years on the cork. Of course Krug gives a general indication of the disgorgement dates for their wines on the corks, but by that time, readers may have opened a bottle that needs more bottle age. Without this information it is impossible to give readers any reliable indication of when the house’s NV wines might start drinking well. With a retail price over $300 a bottle, opening a bottle of Krug’s Rose can be a very expensive learning experience. Krug fans will want to keep an eye out for my upcoming article on Clos du Mesnil, featuring complete notes back to the inaugural 1979.

Vinous

Vinous

97

The 1998 Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil has developed beautifully since I last tasted it. What a wine. For the first few years of its life, the 1998 seemed to lack personality, then, suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, it blossomed. Today, the 1998 is rich, powerful and explosive, none of which was a few years ago. Layers of textured fruit, pastry, spices and crushed rocks jump from the glass. Still an infant, the 1998 promises to drink well for two to three decades. This is without question the best bottle of the 1998 I have ever tasted. Time to do another complete vertical?

What the Critics are Saying

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

96

The 1998 Brut Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil has come together beautifully since I tasted it last year. This is a remarkably taut, focused bottle of the 1998 with great energy and minerality in its precise, crystalline fruit. I don’t expect the 1998 to be one of the longest-lived Mesnils, but if this bottle is any indication, it should continue to drink well for a number of years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028. My visit to Krug earlier this year was fascinating, as I had a chance to taste a number of 2009s and reserve wines. A tank sample of the 2009 Clos du Mesnil was one of the most exciting, viscerally thrilling wines of the trip, and remained etched on my mind for several weeks. I also had a chance to glance over newly found, hand-written original records that document the exact village breakdown of all the grapes Krug purchased in each vintage going back to 1928. This year I tasted a number of fabulous wines from bottle. Unfortunately I can’t include my impressions on Krug’s NV Champagnes because of the house’s insistence on not providing disgorgement dates for those wines. I was reminded of the importance of this information when I tasted a fabulous, utterly spellbinding bottle of the NV Rose. It was a truly beautiful Champagne, but owing to its recent disgorgement it needed at least a few years on the cork. Of course Krug gives a general indication of the disgorgement dates for their wines on the corks, but by that time, readers may have opened a bottle that needs more bottle age. Without this information it is impossible to give readers any reliable indication of when the house’s NV wines might start drinking well. With a retail price over $300 a bottle, opening a bottle of Krug’s Rose can be a very expensive learning experience. Krug fans will want to keep an eye out for my upcoming article on Clos du Mesnil, featuring complete notes back to the inaugural 1979.

Vinous

Vinous

97

The 1998 Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil has developed beautifully since I last tasted it. What a wine. For the first few years of its life, the 1998 seemed to lack personality, then, suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, it blossomed. Today, the 1998 is rich, powerful and explosive, none of which was a few years ago. Layers of textured fruit, pastry, spices and crushed rocks jump from the glass. Still an infant, the 1998 promises to drink well for two to three decades. This is without question the best bottle of the 1998 I have ever tasted. Time to do another complete vertical?