Virtual Krug Champagne tasting with Special Guest Olivier Krug

 “I would like a wine. The purpose of the wine is to get me drunk. A bad wine will get me as drunk as a good wine. I would like the good wine. And since the result is the same no matter which wine I drink, I’d like to pay the bad wine price.”

Steve Martin -  Comedian, writer, actor, banjo player

And with Champagne I would like to have the Krug at the regular Champagne price…But when money is no object, I’m drinking vintage Krug all night long and if I win the lottery its Clos du Mesnil and Clos du Ambonnay all night!!

We are hosting virtual tastings every Wednesday on Zoom and Instagram live which will be posted to Instagram TV.  So, if you can’t make it at 2pm to chat with Olivier Krug, Wednesday March 10th, you can tune in any time after that by checking out the video posted to Wine Watch’s Instagram page.  The virtual tasting packs are up on our web page under the gift box selections and you can purchase them before the event and taste along with us or purchase them any time after the event until the wines are no longer available and taste the wines and watch the interview at your leisure.

For those that would like to attend in person and be part of the studio audience on the day of the event the price is $150 + tax and there are only 10 seats available to our studio audience the day of the tasting.  There will be a few small bites served but this is not a dinner.  For reservations to be part of the studio audience please call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Virtual Krug Champagne Tasting with Special Guest Olivier Krug
Wednesday, March 10th
2:00pm

Virtual Krug Champagne Tasting 4 Pack - Wine Watch
Price: $1055.75
MV Krug Grande Cuvee 168th Edition Champagne
Price: $231.75    Your Price: $203.94          Quantity in Stock: 10
The 168ème Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée was composed around the harvest of 2012, a beautiful year with a low yield due to the panoply of meteorological events the region endured. Frost, rain, storms and hale all hit the vineyards of Champagne in winter and spring 2012, followed by the driest ripening season since 1974, resulting in 20% fewer grapes.
To realise the final creation, wines of the year from meticulously selected plots were blended with reserve wines from 10 other years. The careful attention given to the vines and Krug’s unique respect for the individual character of each plot enabled the breadth of expression of this Édition.
To realise the final creation, wines of the year from meticulously selected plots were blended with reserve wines from 10 other years. The careful attention given to the vines and Krug’s unique respect for the individual character of each plot enabled the breadth of expression of this Édition.
In all, reserve wines from the House’s extensive library made up 42% of the final blend, bringing the breadth and roundness so essential to each Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée.

MV Krug Grande Cuvee 167th Edition Champagne
Price: $231.75    Your Price: $203.94          Quantity in Stock: 10
Krug Grande Cuvée 167ème Édition was composed around the harvest of 2011. This atypical year was divided into two parts: high temperatures up until the beginning of May resulted in blossoms three weeks early, followed by cold, wet weather with low sun.
There was concern that the grapes might be overly mature but a three-day heat wave stopped maturation, while subsequent rains refreshed them. The year’s unusual weather led to the second earliest harvest since 1822.
In the end, the grapes were healthy and gave rise to wines with a surprising structure and remarkable aromas. While the Chardonnays did not reveal their habitual freshness, it was a year for beautifully balanced Pinot Noir wines, particularly those from plots in Mareuil sur Aÿ.
In order to complement the wines of the year, the House drew on its extensive library of reserve wines, a careful selection of which make up 42% of the final blend. A number of Meuniers from different years brought freshness, while certain Chardonnays and wines from plots on the Montagne de Reims harvested in the 1990s brought the breadth and roundness so essential to every Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée.

MV Krug Rose Brut Champagne 24th Edition
Price: $410.00    Sale Price: $360.80
Krug Rosé is inspired by the dream of the fifth generation of the Krug family to conceive a rosé Champagne that did not yet exist, one that could be re-created each year. Every Édition of Krug Rosé perpetuates this legacy.
Krug Rosé 24ème Édition was composed around the harvest of 2012, a beautiful year with a low yield due to a succession of meteorological events. Frost, rain, storms and hale all hit the vineyards of Champagne in winter and spring 2012, followed by the driest ripening season since 1974, resulting in 20% fewer grapes.
Each year, to re-create the dream of the fifth generation of the Krug family of an unexpected, bold and elegant rosé Champagne, the House starts by identifying plots’ wines from the current and previous years that will together convey all possible types of fruit expression. This composition then embraces a traditionally macerated red Pinot Noir, which adds spiciness, colour and structure.
In all, reserve wines from the House’s extensive library made up 71% of the final blend of this Édition of Krug Rosé.
Krug Rosé is the most non-conformist of Krug Champagnes, for bold gastronomic adventures. Combining breadth, depth and grace, it dances a perfect tango with savoury dishes of all kinds, replacing a good red wine at the table with brio.

2006 Krug Vintage Brut Champagne
Price: $378.00    Your Price: $332.64
(97 Points) As I reported when it was released, Krug's 2006 Brut is clearly one of the vintage's highlights. Offering up aromas of dried fruits, pear, freshly baked bread, caramelized apples, honeycomb and toasted sourdough, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with superb concentration, racy acids and an impressively tightly wound profile for this demonstrative vintage. I observed last year that this is surprisingly reserved for the vintage, and if anything, that quality is even more in evidence today. While many 2006 Champagnes are likely to be at their best in their demonstrative youth, this is one wine unquestionably built for the long haul.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Wine Watch invites you to participate live on ZOOM at 2pm EST on the 10th of March, simply click the link below at 2pm and you will be admitted to the party.
https://moethennessy.zoom.us/j/97401011520?pwd=SDZKUWk3WFdORkZEL0RkT0loOWFJQT09

A bit about Krug Champagne:

"The Krug taste is both majestic and magisterial...there is the raw material, the attention to detail, the ageing, the handmade quality.  And there are the Krugs themselves, with their adherence to a certain vision of their wine, the palate memory of five generations, their lack of compromise...the "Krug taste" is an idée fixe, an obsession of the noblest kind.

Krug Champagne is a name that is synonymous with the highest quality - its aficionados claim that it belongs in the company of those stellar stalwarts like Rolls-Royce and Cartier.  To achieve this recognition, one needs more than just dedication or expertise (both of which the Krugs have in no short supply) or a large advertising budget.  One needs a philosophy of excellence that is steeped in history and is as solid and unconditional as a rock.  While many other Champagne firms have altered their styles to conform to modern tastes, the Krugs have basically never wavered from the traditions and styles established five generations ago.  And how successful has this policy been?  Robert Parker, perhaps America's foremost wine critic says: "There are a lot of fine Champagnes made in the world, but there is no better than that made by the very small house of Krug, whose champagnes are legendary not only for their quality but for their aging potential."  Serena Sutcliffe, a renowned British wine authority, in her marvelous book titled Champagne says: "In a changing world, where one is constantly reappraising values and beliefs in the light of experience and shifting ethical standards, Krug stands as solid and as reassuring as ever.  This edifice to quality and consistently high standards remains a monument to our ideas of excellence and a bastion in our fight against mediocrity."  This is a sampling of the high praise that comes from both sides of the Atlantic, but one need only ask a Champagne connoisseur from any part of the world: "Who produces the best Champagne?"  On everybody's short list will be the inimitable House of Krug.

Krug was founded in 1843 by Jean-Joseph Krug who was born in 1800 in Mainz, Germany, moved to Paris and then eventually settled in Champagne.  He rented a cellar in Reims and quickly established a reputation as a blender of cuvées.  His flair for quality soon attracted other Champagne houses whose owners solicited him to make up their own blends.  In a very short time the Krug firm began to prosper and export wine all over the world.  Jean-Joseph's son Paul succeeded him; and when Paul passed away in 1910, his eldest son, Joseph II (who harbored a true love of the sea more than a love of Champagne) reluctantly assumed control of the firm.  Joseph II was badly wounded during the fighting that raged in and around Champagne during World War I; and at war's end, his doctors had a very pessimistic prognosis for his survival.  Because his only son (Paul II) was still a child, he appointed a nephew as a general manager.  The doctors turned out to be wrong.  Joseph II eventually lived to be 98 years old, outlasted his nephew, and remained involved with Krug almost until his death.  Serena Sutcliffe instructs us that the moral of this happy ending is "...with champagne at one's side it does not do to be pessimistic about one's life expectancy."

Paul II began working in the business in 1935 and passed the firm on to his two sons, Henri and Rémi.  Henri handled most of the winemaking duties while Rémi was the managing director and Krug's ambassador-at -large.  Rémi tirelessly troted the globe promoting Krug in tastings and gatherings of "Krugies" about the world.  In May of 1990 we had the good fortune of joining Rémy Krug in a small luncheon at which was served the entire line of his Champagnes.  Besides this Grand Cuvée, we tasted (while listening to Rémy Krug extol the virtues and uniqueness of his Champagnes) the 1982 and 1964 vintages, the 1981 Clos du Mesnil, and the non-vintage rosé.  The Krug style - a common thread to all of them - was evident across the entire range of these quite different Champagnes.  There was the non-vintage Rosé with its deft balance, touch of raspberry cream, and its very pale color that reminded of the shyly rising sun in one of Monet's "Haystacks in Winter"; the elegant, austere, stylish 1982 vintage; the robust, lively flavors of the 1964 vintage with its honey-praline-hazelnut flavors; and the extremely austere, penetrating 1981 Clos du Mesnil with its toasty, vanilla, wheat-thin bouquet.  All were unmistakably Krug.

By Champagne standards Krug is quite small - less than 500,000 bottles (compared to 27,000,000 bottles annually at Moët) are produced.  Up until 1970, the Krugs purchased all the grapes for their Champagnes - preferring to leave the growing to those who knew how to do it best.  However, between 1970 and 1972 the Krugs acquired about fifteen hectares of land in Aÿ and Les Mesnil including a 1.87 hectare single vineyard known as Le Clos du Mesnil.  These vineyards are rated the top 100% in the échelles des cru (this is the rating system established in Champagne to classify the best vineyards and determine the price which the grapes can command).  The Clos du Mesnil - comprised of 100% Chardonnay - has existed since 1698 and is one of only three single-vineyard Champagnes produced in France.  The vineyards supply about 25% of Krug's needs, but only select growers are used for their remaining requirements.  A lady in Avize, for example, sells half her thirty hectare vineyard to the Krugs under a long term contract established in 1974.

Krug's wines - unlike most of the more "modern" houses - are fermented in oak casks.  The Krugs feel that the oak gives them the extra dimension of complexity and aromatics they seek in their wines.  Only the first pressing is used (Champagne law does not require it; but Krug law does!); the first pressing is known as the cuvée, and all Krug Champagne is cuvée only.  The wine is never filtered and is never released to market until five or more years after bottling (the longest in Champagne, to our knowledge).  The firm backs up its stocks with six years of supply from which to blend.  And for Krug, blending is the key. The Multi-vintage Grand Cuvée is Krug's bread and butter Champagne accounting for almost 80% of its production. Launched in 1978, the Grand Cuvée can be a blend of as many as fifty different base wines from as many as eight different vintages.  Like all Krug Champagnes it has an "intellectual" taste not well suited for all palates and one that goes better with food than most Champagnes (many of which are now relegated to service as forerunners to the meal rather than as companions with it)."  - Jim Turner, Founder of Wine Watch

Although the Krug family no longer owns the Champagne house, the house is now part of global conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH). Like most of the companies in the group, Krug runs with a certain amount of autonomy and Oliver Krug is now the face of the Krug family in charge of Marketing and still has a good deal to do with production.  The style has remained the same while the production at Krug may be up a little bit (I would bet that Moet is making more than 27,000,000 bottles annually today), Krug is still one of the ultimate collectibles from Champagne today.  This perceived and real autonomy has played a large role in maintaining the house's reputation and consistent style.

All the Krug Champagnes available at Wine Watch

MV Krug Grand Cuvee 166th Edition Champagne Magnum
Price: $537.00    Your Price: $472.56          Quantity in Stock: 1
Krug Grande Cuvée 166ème Édition was composed around the harvest of 2010. A year defined by its tumultuous climate, the grapes nonetheless showed great promise until the cool end to the growing season brought cause for concern. The careful attention given to the vines during this challenging period and Krug's unique respect for the individual character of each plot proved crucial to ensuring a yield in good health and of ideal maturity.
Unusually, the Chardonnay wines from the Côte de Blancs region did not reveal their habitual freshness, but the House's non-conformist approach to Champagne creation led us to counterbalance this with the vivacity of the year's Meunier wines, such as those from Sainte-Gemme and Courmas.
A selection of carefully chosen, relatively young reserve wines makes up 42% of the composition, most notable among them those from the year 2000 for their remarkable structure and those from Oger for their generous roundness. The 2006 wines from Verzy and Bouzy added the final touch to the blend, imparting to it the harmony so essential to the creation of every Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée.

MV Krug Grand Cuvee Brut Champagne 160th Edition 3 Liter
Price: $1593.00  Your Price: $1401.84
Krug Grande Cuvée 160ème Édition was composed around the harvest of 2004. With beautiful weather in harvest time from mid-September to early October, 2004 was a generous year after the challenging extremes of 2003. Nature's elation afforded a breadth of choice and when harvest time arrived the grapes were in very good condition.
Upon tasting the wines of the year, the Meuniers revealed vivacity, tension and citrus notes, the Chardonnays showed vibrancy and the Pinot Noirs a beautiful structure. To complement these facets and impart to this Édition the distinctive generosity of Krug Grande Cuvée, a selection of wines was chosen from House's extensive library of reserve wines, making up 35% of the blend.
Particularly notable among them were a selection of the older Chardonnays, such as the 1990 wines from Avize and Oger, which brought their touch of freshness, while a 1995 Avize gave a bountiful roundness. The remaining reserve wines were chosen primarily from more recent years, providing the liveliness and vigour so essential to every Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée.

MV Krug Grand Cuvee Brut Champagne Edition 161 3 Liter
Price: $1593.00  Your Price: $1401.84
Krug Grande Cuvée 161ème Édition was composed around the harvest of 2005. It was a year of patience and diligence in which a mild winter was followed by a hot, overcast summer. While the harvest in Champagne officially began on 12th September, every decision at Krug is based on tasting and so the House chose to wait a further week. The generous yield revealed an exceptional level of freshness.
The wines of the year - which made up 68% of the final blend - revealed a vibrant character. To complement this and imbue the blend with Krug Grande Cuvée's distinctive fullness of flavours and aromas, a select number of wines were chosen from the House's extensive library of reserve wines from over 14 different years. Among them, Chardonnays from older years and a diverse selection of Meuniers bring the shine, generosity and depth so essential to every Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée.

MV Krug Rose Brut Champagne 19th Edition Magnum
Price: $993.75    Your Price: $874.50
Inspired by the dream of the fifth generation of the House of Krug to conceive a rosé Champagne that did not yet exist, every year a new Édition of Krug Rosé is created.
Krug Rosé 19ème Édition was composed around the harvest of 2006. The year's summer was one of sharp contrasts, with a heat wave punctuated by intermittent storms and even hail. These extremes incited some concern for the health of the grapes but the last days of summer were fine and bright. When harvest time arrived, the grapes expressed a good level of maturity.
To balance the beautiful roundness and aromatic notes of fruit in the selected wines of the year, the majority of Pinot Noirs chosen for the blend came from plots on the northern slopes of the Montagne de Reims, bringing hints of fresh fruit and tension. Among the reserve wines, which make up 22% of the final blend, a 2004 Chardonnay from a plot in Oger was chosen for its vivacious notes of fruit, while a 2005 Meunier from a plot in the Vallée de la Marne lent its generous fruit character.
Finally, a red wine from the House's plot in Ay imparted an enchanting colour, delicacy, length and spiciness. This fusion promised to reveal the elegance and verve so characteristic of every Édition of Krug Rosé.
Krug Rosé is the most non-conformist of Krug Champagnes, for bold gastronomic adventures. Combining breadth, depth and grace, it dances a perfect tango with savoury dishes of all kinds, replacing a good red wine at the table with brio.

1988 Krug Vintage Brut Champagne
Price: $1595.00  Sale Price: $1250.00         Quantity in Stock: 1
(98 Points) A superb Champagne and still youthful. Honey, ginger, lemon confit, coffee and mineral aromas and flavors come to mind, all kept focused by a firm, tightly wound structure. The finish is where its pedigree shines through, lingering like warm gingerbread and coffee. Drink now through 2015. 5,000 cases made.  Wine Spectator
1988 Krug Collection Brut Champagne
Price: $1230.00  Your Price: $1082.40        Quantity in Stock: 3
A late release from the winery thus the Collection title on these three bottles. 

1998 Krug Vintage Brut Champagne 3 Liter
Price: $3500.00  Sale Price: $3080.00         Quantity in Stock: 1
(94 points) The 1998 Brut Vintage is a gorgeous wine for near-term drinking, Warm, toasty notes lead to an expansive core of fruit that covers the palate. This isn’t the most complex Krug Vintage, but it also won’t take years or decades to offer its finest drinking. 2010-2020. 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. Wine Advocate #192 Dec 2010
2002 Krug Vintage Brut Champagne Magnum
Price: $750.00    Your Price: $660.00

Notes from the Winemaker: The expression of the year 2002 as revealed by Krug : Ode to Nature. It is a charismatic Champagne which beautifully combines natural intensity, delicacy and insolent elegance. Krug 2002 is the first Krug vintage of the Millennium. As with Krug 1988, released after 1989, Krug 2002 comes after 2003. As with all Krug Champagnes, Krug 2002 will continue to gain with the passage of time.

2003 Krug Brut Champagne MAGNUM
Price: $1057.50  Your Price: $930.60          Quantity in Stock: 1
(95 points) Like taffeta in texture, this harmonious Champagne is finely honed and fresh. A wonderfully expressive version, with ample spice and graphite accents to the blackberry pâte de fruit, coffee liqueur, dried apricot, singed orange peel and crystallized honey notes. Hard to stop sipping. Disgorged spring 2014. Drink now through 2028. (AN) (11/2015) Wine Spectator

2000 Krug Clos d'Ambonnay Brut Champagne
Price: $2929.50  Your Price: $2577.96        Quantity in Stock: 1
2002 Krug Clos D'Ambonnay Brut Champagne
List Price: $2700.00          Your Price: $2376.00
Krug Vintage Champagne Clos D'Ambonnay 2000 is the rarest of all Krugs. Krug Clos d'Ambonnay is the exceptional product of a single walled vineyard in the village of Ambonnay, which for generations has been one of Krug's best-loved terroirs. In this supremely elegant champagne, Ambonnay's Pinot Noir grapes are elevated to their ultimate expression by Krug's legendary craftsmanship and long years of aging in the cellars.  The launch of Krug Clos d'Ambonnay is a landmark because it is a Champagne which three members of the Krug family - Henri Krug, Rémi Krug and Olivier Krug - all worked together on in unison.

2006 Krug Clos Du Mesnil Brut Blanc De Blanc Champagne
List Price: $1316.25          Your Price: $1158.30
Grandfather said to never make the wine because it would place unnecessary importance on the vineyard as Champagne is all about the blend or the cuvee. The fact that this wine is made from a single vineyard and one single year makes it by default the easiest of all the wines to make at Krug. Notes of vanilla cream, spice and anise with hints of roasted almonds, marzipan, this is the easiest wines to make because it is one varietal from a single vineyard and one single vintage. In great years like 2006 it is incredible, but it is only made in great years so it is always incredible

2004 Krug Clos de Mesnil Blanc de Blanc Brut Champagne Magnum
Price: $3547.50  Your Price: $3121.80
2004 Krug Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil Brut Champagne         
List Price: $1316.25          Your Price: $1158.30
(97 points) Outer quote mark Evocative of a Bernini sculpture, this vibrant Champagne is equally about the statuesque frame of acidity and chalky underpinning as it is the finely honed details, including the silken texture, the aromas of lime blossom, saffron and incense, and the expressive, woven range of crème de cassis, ground espresso, kumquat, crystallized honey and toast point flavors. Long and focused, echoing the rich profile on the finish. *Collectibles* (AN) Inner quote mark (12/2018) Wine Spectator

2000 Krug "Clos du Mesnil" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Price: $1700.00  Sale Price: $1350.00         Quantity in Stock: 3
(97 points)  **Collectibles** A vibrant and expressive version, showing a pleasing tension to the interplay of mouthwatering acidity and fleur de sel-tinged minerality, with fine layers of poached quince, peach skin, ground coffee, toasted hazelnut, clover honey and cumin flavors. Spice and mineral notes ring out on the finish. Drink now through 2030. (11/ 2013) Wine Spectator

A special offering on small bottles of Krug!!

Usually, I don’t like half bottles but when they are less than the price of a full bottle and they are the most recent release – now you have my attention!!  The 169th edition is not available in 750ml yet but we have a sneak preview and these little bottles are perfect for a starter if its just two people or even for one if you are like me and you love champagne and can drink a whole bottle by yourself you may need two little bottles!!

MV Krug Grande Cuvee Brut Champagne 169th Edition (375ml)
Price: $95.00       Sale Price: $79.00             Quantity in Stock: 34
This bottle belongs to the 169ème Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée, a blend of 146 wines from 11 different years. The youngest is from the year 2013 and the oldest dates back to 2000. A stay of around seven years in Krug’s cellars gives this Édition its remarkable expression and elegance. Every glass poured from it is the fruit of more than 20 years of careful craftsmanship.
The 169ème Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée was composed around the harvest of 2013. The season began with a seemingly endless winter followed by a rainy and cool spring. Luckily, summer was hot and sunny, although also marked by hailstorms, which took their toll in the vineyards. The wines of the year were complete, expressive and full of flavours.
To create this Édition, the Cellar Master looked to accentuate the year’s fullness and beautiful aromatic elegance with different plots’ wines from 10 other years. The careful attention given to the vines and Krug’s unique respect for the individual character of each plot enabled the breadth of expression of this Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée.
In all, reserve wines from the House’s extensive library made up 40% of the final blend, bringing the breadth and roundness so essential to each Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée.
The final composition of this bottle of Krug Grande Cuvée is 43% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 22% Meunier.