Krug - Champagner Vintage, brut 2002

JAMES SUCKLING: "The much-anticipated 2002 has impeccable detail and depth with a lot of chalky, stony and flinty elements on the nose as well as a very fresh edge. The nose is very complex and wound up tight but presents itself as very integrated and compressed. There are aromas of lemon rind, lime juice and a lime custard all at once, complemented in turn by a super-restrained hazelnut-like edge. Undertones of brown mushrooms, chalky minerals and lemon leaf. The palate has a core of sizzlingly intense, concentrated chardonnay framed whitin a powerful phenolic structure that will underpin the future of this Champagne. Flawlessly fresh and as perfect as it gets. Give this time as it needs to settle: best from 2020 and then for another decade beyond."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This is a fabulous wine from the greatest Champagne vintage so far this century. Still young, it blends almost equal amounts of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fleshed out with Pinot Meunier. The minerality and the rich apple and green fruits are balanced, and acidity cuts into the wine with a pure, perfumed line of freshness. The wine could be drunk now, but it will age well into the the 2020s."

DECANTER: "The 2002 Krug is a riveting, incisive wine with a compelling complexity and length that set it apart. The richness is less prominent on the initial attack, but the aromas open with time to show the iconic Krug character that spans passionfruit, citrus, coconut, and smoke aromas with a surging mineral undercurrent. The wine is vibrantly dynamic on the palate, with enough extract to ensure a lengthy finish. The blend includes 40% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay, and 21% Meunier, whose approachable floral notes suffuse the bouquet. The wine was disgorged in 2015 with an extra-brut dosage and will easily live another thirty years."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Krug's 2002 Brut (ID 415064 – disgorged IV/2015) has an intense citrus color and opens with a generous, intense yet fine and precise bouquet that indicates great depth and elegance. Red fruit flavors on the nose lead to a generously rich yet pure, highly refined and elegant palate, with lots of ripe cherry fruits and delicious yeasty flavors. This is a highly complex and tensioned but beautifully balanced 2002 with a charming dosage that gives perfect roundness. The finish, however, is clear, fresh and well-structured, if not taut, and very mineral. Tasted in Reims in April 2018."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Beautifully aromatic, this leads with aromas of ground clove, coffee liqueur and mandarin orange peel, adding crystallized honey, dried cherry, acacia blossom and toasted brioche notes on the expansive palate. Rich in flavor and broad in structure, with verve driving this through to the long, satiny finish. Drink now through 2027."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Much more intense nose than the first bottle of 2002. Exciting. Tense, nervy and deep-flavoured and 'burnished' somehow. Much less austere on the palate. Exotic and broad and rich with tension. So much better than the first bottle – a bit more evolved too."