The potential for a Krug vintage wine is only identified after the blend of Grande Cuvée has been secured, and all the reserves earmarked. ‘Our challenge with Grand Cuvée is to make a consistent wine that erases all the character of the vintage,’ Olivier explains . The most extreme and spectacular wines are kept aside as reserve wines; those with the most pronounced character of the vintage become the vintage wine. Krug’s vintage comprises just 4– 5% of production, making a statement to reflect the story of the year, rather than a creative expression. Krug dubs Vintage 2000 gourmandise orageuse — stormy indulgence — after its chaotic season, among its most intense and warmest declared vintages, alongside 1947, 1959, 1976, 1982 and 1989. It carries a gentle and calm demeanour that belies its tumultuous season. In spite of glowing generosity, it’s somehow transfixed in time, held in suspended animation and astonishingly barely evolved from its release four years ago, yet somehow even more expressive. The sheer endurance of even a warm vintage is a marvel, finding a new lease on life in Krug’s capable hands, with remarkable freshness and vitality infused by a taut yet silky line of malic acidity, drawing its multifaceted complexity into tight control. Aglow with yellow summer fruits becoming orange zest, the great intensity of Krug resonates in rumbling depth of butterscotch, honey, molten wax, toast and hints of smouldering hearth. All the silky lusciousness of 2000 is on parade, amidst deep-set mineral expression and silky texture on a finish of sheer concentration and wonderful poise. A brilliant Krug , right at its prime, with no sign of waning anytime soon.
Source: Tyson Stelzer, The Champagne Guide 2016-2017.