2008 Krug, Clos du Mesnil - Szampan Blanc de Blancs, Brut - 1 Butelka (0,75 l)

100/100 Falstaff

Krug is one of Champagne's most prestigious houses and its wines are among the most collectible and expensive in Champagne. The house was founded in 1843 by Joseph Krug, a native of the Mosel region in Germany, who had moved to France and spent some time working for Jacquesson, the leading Champagne house of the time.

Krug's philosophy was that every Champagne should be the best possible expression, and eschewed the common idea of a hierarchy of Champagne. Instead, he began to craft a premium wine from a reserve of wines vinified separately by the growers themselves, a wine that would eventually become the Grande Cuvée.

This wine sits alongside the likes of Dom Pérignon and Cristal at the top of the Champagne tree, and is a blend of 120 different wines from 10 or more vintages from the so-called Krug Library (a repository of still wines held prior to blending and refermenting in bottle). It is aged for six years, and is noted for its complex brioche and spice characters.

Today, the wines are still vinified by individual plot, and are stored in the Krug Library. Every year, the chef de cave heads a tasting committee which decides on the final blend.

This library holds reserve wines anywhere from the current vintage to those 50 years old and are produced from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, which are all grown at Krug and used throughout the collection.

Krug also makes several other Champagnes, including a rosé non-vintage and a Krug vintage, which is only produced in the best years.

On top of this, there are two rare and highly collectible wines from small, walled plots considered among the best in Champagne: the Krug Clos du Mesnil and Krug Clos d'Ambonnay, produced from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir respectively.

Krug is part of the wider Moët Hennessy group of companies. While the house is headquartered in Reims, a new winery is being developed at the Clos d'Ambonnay site and is due to open in 2023.