Now, this is a Champagne worthy of my last year in my current decade.
It’s not inexpensive but, there’s a reason for that.
From the moment I put my nose to the glass, I got a a sense of warm, inviting delicacy. There is; cream, soft ginger, fall green apples, mango, guava, slightly sour lemons, lime zest/candy, perfectly, ripe pineapple, white peach, green melons, lightly bruised pear, marmalade jam, as soft as white spice can be, grey volcanics, good chalkiness, vanillin, sea spray, lovely, melted caramel notes, yeast, bread dough to baguette crust, non funky cheese rind, toast, silvered almonds to nut skin with white & lilies, jasmine and spring flowers.
The palate enters like Tango dancers & cross-fades into ballet. Perfect richness, mousse & micro-oxygenation with gentle, absolute, perfect acidity. The minerality is fine, delicate & straight up in my wheelhouse. Cream, understated, melted butter, ginger, fall, Granny Smith apples, mango, guava, slightly sour lemons, lime zest/ peel/candy, perfectly, ripe pineapple, white peach, peach, tangerine, green melons, lightly bruised pear, some apple cider, marmalade jam, honeysuckle, herbaceousiness, a shade of mint, as soft as white spice can be, delicate, grey volcanics with limestone, good chalkiness, vanillin, sea spray, lovely, melted caramel notes, yeast, bread dough to baguette crust, non funky cheese rind, toast, silvered almonds to nut skin with, orange blossoms, white & lilies, jasmine and spring flowers. The long, amazing, well balanced finish is simply Mozart.
The 02 is a blend of 39% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay & 21% Pinot Meunier. This bottle spent at least 12 years in Krug's cellars, receiving its cork in autumn 2014.
Photos of; the House of Krug, their very tall & countless stainless steel tanks they hold still wine(s), fermenting or library bottles in their caves & Krug Clos du Mesnil Vineyard. — 4 years ago
Nice golden hue, looks heavy and rich in the glass. Honeyed fragrant nose. Notes of sweet apricot, mango, lemon, white clay, tan spice, and stones. Nice intensity in the mouth, with gobs of fruit matched against acidity that built over the afternoon. Telltale aged Raveneau honey, exotic today but not over the top. I brought this and it was the best of the couple or so bottles of it that I've had. Was at its best with ~5 hours of air, and leftover was still singing the next morning. — 5 years ago
Very nice. Possible that some of the fruit is starting to fade. But with some time in the glass this still reveals a lot and of course finishes with very good acid and smooth, well integrated tannins. Very nice with a big grilled pork chop. — 7 years ago
"I make wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is at Calon"... I can see why Nicolas Alexandre Marquis de Segur said these iconic words after having this wine in my glass. The nose is so inviting with warm spice, cigar smoke, embers, and toast. Raspberry syrup, plums, vanilla, and toffee on the palate. Nice thread of smoke throughout with nice balancing fresh fruit. What an enjoyable wine! 20 months in new oak - obviously the more accessible style the new owners are going for... the Pinot the other night gave an experience, this one tells a story. — 8 years ago
Still tightly coiled, giving its perfumed nose after 1.5hours in glass. Medium to full with a focus long cab fruit — 9 years ago
Violet, vanilla, black currant and very cab franc like. Dry, dark fruit, tar and silky but bracing tannins. Vanilla and pencil lead notes, fruit developed in glass. — 10 years ago
Now I see how this wine can be so divisive. LOTS of brett at first, more band-aid than barnyard. Takes a while to get past it and then lots of exotic spices show up. But after 40 minutes in the glass still nothing primary. It’s got the funk I can appreciate in some good left bank Bordeaux but also feels somewhat single-threaded. — 3 years ago
1/21 This 1993 Cab was superb. It changed a lot in the glass gaining power and then losing it. It lost it’s power but it still had strength. This was a complex wine with a lot of minerality and very well balanced and a nice finish. 90 — 3 years ago
A big bold plumy purple bomb As dense and luscious as a wine can get in a glass. Decanted for 2 hrs and its still a baby with blackberry, dark chocolate licorice and pepper on the nose and on the palate. A long long finish and loads of tannins to sum it all up — 5 years ago
A treat. Dark in color, slightly cloudy. A powerful nose with dark, very mouton fruit. Incredibly aromatic, blackcurrant, mint,graphite, dried herbs, eucalyptus. The palate is extraordinary. So dense and powerful for a wine of almost 70 years. Dark fruit with a savory undertow- leather, thyme, sour cherry, dark chocolate. Really precise flavors and long. After an hour or two in glass there’s notes of coconut and soft wood. Extraordinary. Clearly there’s a lot of age on this but the sheer quality makes for a really dynamic wine. An exceptional bottle, and a teal treat. — 6 years ago
What a treat. From the company to the antics of the cork removal, all was fantastic. Not surprised with some immediate mustiness on the nose, giving way to a rich but smooth aged blue cheese, mushrooms, soy sauce, earth, and just a faint hint of dried red fruit. Over the next 20 minutes the glass development was out of control, changing with each and every whiff and sip. Earthy umami, oxidative, and and slightly stewed reds to begin quickly opened to nice dried strawberries on the palate and nose, and advancing to moderately subdued ripened strawberries and cranberries- after 61 years and still kickin with fruit! Amazing. Then after about 20 minutes of rapid metamorphosis, it gave in and decided to fade to a very pleasant sipper...awesome. — 9 years ago
I felt like I needed a snorkel and fins when I placed my nose in the glass. I cannot recall a wine that showed so much seashell and saline. Laser focused compared to the 2005 Dauvissat's I recently tasted. Wave after wave of salt, minerals and citrus. A very long and fresh finish. No rush to open. Textbook. — 9 years ago
1955. Held in the glass nicely and a great nose. — 10 years ago
The wife is making fish so I oblige with this pull. Amber gold, a bit darker than past bottles of this which I’ve had several times. Viscous and heavy in the glass. A nice nose, it doesn’t appear to come across as old on the first smells. Notes of apricot, white stone, some spice and a little citrus. Great acidity and texture in the mouth. With a few hours of air it even gets a bit chewy and more powerful in its impact. Great showing for the color. — 3 years ago
Beautiful, beautiful wine. The last 96 we had was maybe a smidge more together but it’s marginal. Quite dark in the glass. Deep restrained red fruit on the nose. Tannins are slightly dusty but overall very seamless. Excellent refreshing acid. Perfect with a dry aged strip steak. — 4 years ago
Last night in MT at the lake. Gave this several hours of air. Nice dark tawny color. Vibrant in the glass. The nose is great right away and stayed on point through the evening. Notes of black cherries, warm raspberries, old cedar, some plums and a little leather saddle. Rich and silky in the mouth. Velvet glove. Long finish. Great wine. — 5 years ago
Il Ritrivo in Positano. Popped and poured. Light scarlet in the glass. Thin and translucent. This starts off very quiet, offering some ripe cherries and spice. With air it gains a little bit of body and adds some nice sweet fruit but never emerges fully to show what it’s got. Compared to the A Conterno Cicala next to it, this is delicate, feminine and a bit of a surprise it didn’t have more to show. Not sure about this. Probably just needs time. — 5 years ago
Fortunate enough to have tasted this along with 6 other stunning wines last night during a cellar tasting. This 36 year old 2nd growth was nearly perfect, unusual but very pleasant mint, camphor, crushed sage and rosemary aromas with the same cooling delicate herbal initial palate. Dried but expressive red fruits mid- palate with a great structural graphite element throughout. Whiff of new leather. Changed in the glass showing different mellow facets. Pretty much intercepted at the exact right time. A real privilege to taste such a renowned vintage with folks who appreciates what was in front of them. — 6 years ago
Garnet color with a slight orange rim. Nose of lead pencil, dried herbs, soil and red cherries, with a hint of green peppers. Medium+ body, complex palate with the same flavors, and long finish. This softened considerably in the glass over the evening. Great wine. — 6 years ago
Wow, super jammy upfront for a Cab, and a '14 besides. Opens nicely in the glass though. Enjoying at the cabin in Pinetop - where its a brisk 26°F! — 8 years ago
2003 vintage. From Jay. Very nice. Much better than expected. Goes down all together way too easily when you're surrounded by snow! Deep ruby core washing out towards the edges. No bricking...yet. Nose is a preponderance of dark fruits together with blueberries and ripe cassis with slight under tones of cloves and a hint of graphite. This is a very fruity affair- takes me back to Christmas. The wine expresses on the palate as it does on the nose. Layers of rich fruit with traces of brown spice. There's a lovely sweetness here that makes the wine a pleasure to drink despite the relatively modest acidity. The tannins are soft and lush. The finish is good with a continued preponderance of fruit right to the very end although it is moderate in length. This is a very quaff able wine...could be at this all night with pleasure just sit me down in front of an open fire and hand me a Montecristo! 92+/100. Drink now to 2028. NB - no need to decant. This wine can happily be poured from bottle post opening and allowed to open in the glass. — 8 years ago
5-Oh Bday Dinner... From a half bottle. Deep red and purple color. Mostly opaque and thick in the glass. There is still some good fruit in the nose with gravel and soil notes. Very round in the mouth. The wine hung in there over the hour it was consumed. Nice experience with an 80+ year old wine. — 9 years ago
Conrad Green
Super fresh and precise on the nose. Packed with minerals- lime, slate, salinity. Quite a glycerin mouthfeel. Super fresh and compact. All the transparency of 2011 and Raveneau. Needs time in the glass to open up. Still a puppy, but spectacular and all in place. Benefitting from air. — 3 years ago