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Krug Clos du Mesnil 1998

RegionChampagne
Subregion France > Champagne
ColourWhite
TypeSparkling

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Tasting Notes

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.

96
Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate (192), December 2010

A picture of finesse and harmony. Hints of vanilla and warm baking spices and floral aromas introduce flavors of fresh chanterelle,honey, lemon and mineral. The vibrant structure emerges from midpalate through the finish as this unravels its charms. The aftertaste echoes orange peel, spice and woodsy notes. Drink now through 2020. From France.-B.S.

96
Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator, May 2009

Tasted at Berry Brothers & Rudd. Harvested between 24th and 26th September in perfect sunshine. The nose is very succinct, not one that comes out and immediately grabs you, imbued with an almost ethereal quality, as if it is hovering it the ether. Faint hints of spring morning dew, cold granite, a hint of smoke; all with absolutely bewitching delineation. The palate displays more elegance than power, beautifully defined, suffused with a sense of femininity. It seems to hang suspended in the mouth rather than penetrating the palate. Again, there is a sublime sense of mineralité (à la Anne-Claude Leflaive) towards the persistent finish with a beguiling sense of symmetry. Incredible length and focus. Awesome. Tasted October 2008

98
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, October 2008
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.