TN: An amazing journey with 1996 Krug Vintage Champagne

[Baby Chickpea]

1996 Krug Vintage Champagne
When it was decided that we were going to drink this only 48 hours before a hastily arranged catch-up with 4 friends last night, my anticipation levels were soaring. Having had the 96 Salon only two weeks ago, and its superb linearity and focus still freshly etched on my palate and memory, I had very high expectations. The first thing I notice are the bubbles. Vigorous. Jetting about in all directions with no rhyme or reason. Strangely larger than expected. Then the colour provides an awkward moment, a surprising tinge of gold amid the oceans of straw. Perhaps the low lighting is playing tricks.

My 1st eager sniff: smoke and mushrooms. My 1st tentative sip and my initial reaction is “mammoth”. Undeniably complex with huge gobs of upfront grapefruit. The front palate is turbo-charged and surges in one tsunami wave. So full and intensely concentrated that, on the mid palate, for only a fraction of time, a vanishing like particles in quantum physics appearing and disappearing. Is this the end of the end? Amazingly, like Lazarus, it reanimates and rises to a crescendo with a torrent of superbly honed acidity that builds upon itself whilst at once structurally perfect and so judiciously textured yet plentiful.

But at this stage I fear I may have underestimated the laser-precision of 96 Salon, which was more linear, more focused, more aggressively acidic, more structured, more citrusy/lemony. And for the next 30 minutes this already delicious Krug tantalises and teases with evocative foreplay. The bubbles now glide effortlessly to form a narrow mousse and paradoxically their size diminishes. Then, after this refractory period, hints of mandarin peel and ginger suddenly appear (I always seem to find ginger in Krug and is a tell-tale signature of the House for me). One senses the inexorable merger of weight and elegance are in inevitable traction however contradictory. But this is not enough, after one hour in the glass, lemon meringue and lime sorbet seep through, with a touch of honey flecked with ginger spice. So classy and so hauntingly balanced. The mid palate fills out so that the length and structure is now one of amazing persistence and an enormous array of complexity.

Another glass. Each smell, each taste something new and amorous, something new to love, and something even more interesting than what preceded. I don’t think I have ever jotted down so many descriptors and succinct words on a wine, yet it was hard to resist given the unravelling of this wine’s Pandora’s box of secrets that transformed with time and transfixed with their freshness, vitality, complexity, length, structure and indisputable “wow”.

I cannot stress enough for those who will have the pleasure of opening one of these: please give it abundant time in the glass, let is evolve. Let it settle and grow. It was hard to find a flaw with this truly stupendous wine. Perhaps a bit more on the nose (a function of its youth!), maybe even the sense and compelling wisdom that this will undeniably get better (as have previous vintages), only serves to reiterate that this is a very special wine and that improvement is not only anticipated but expected. I don’t think it presumptuous to state that its future pledges profundity, its destiny as a legend as assured as any wine I have tasted.

As essential and fine as other 96 vintage champagnes are (like Taittinger Comtes, Pol’s Sir Winston, Salon, Dom Perignon, Cristal, Egly-Ouriet, Perrier-Jouet, etc), this wine is almost the complete package. The standard has been set: in my 21 years of drinking Champagne, the 96 Krug is the single greatest young Champagne I have ever tasted.
97+ / 100

Yes, there were 10 other wines (a couple even exceptional), but why bother ….

96 Salon TN here:
http://forum.auswine.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=7014

[dlo]

Thanks, Danny. for such a thrilling note on perhaps, what looks, to me, to be the finest Champagne from the great 1996 vintage. Perhaps, only to be challenged by the likes of the Clos du Mesnil? Time will tell.

[Baby Chickpea]

Dlo, the big fella seems to agree as well. He has exceptional taste.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 75,00.html