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1996 Krug Brut


jdl

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Anybody here tried the 96 Krug yet? Is it worth the going rate? Do I already know the answer to that question? I'm afraid I do.

But I'm having a hard time getting my mind around the idea of paying $60+ more for a 750 than I paid for magnums of the killer 1988. Hell, you used to be able to find Clos du Mesnil for this kind of coin!

Price creep + weak dollar = bummed-out me.

But I do love me some Krug. And the 96s have been awfully good.

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I have not tried it but I bought some. I have yet to be disappointed by a Krug.
I have -- I think the new MV Grand Cuvee (the one with the new label) is a clear step below the earlier bottlings. CBut generally, I'm right there with you. The 85 in particular is a real stunner right now.
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I have -- I think the new MV Grand Cuvee (the one with the new label) is a clear step below the earlier bottlings. CBut generally, I'm right there with you. The 85 in particular is a real stunner right now.
Couldn't agree more on the new label grand cuvee. I have a few bottles of '96, and fewer still '90. Haven't opened either, but will open a 90 this weekend...
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I have -- I think the new MV Grand Cuvee (the one with the new label) is a clear step below the earlier bottlings. CBut generally, I'm right there with you. The 85 in particular is a real stunner right now.
I wouldn't use the term disappointed to describe my feelings about the newer style of Grande Cuvee, while I do prefer the older bolder style over the lighter style reflected with the new bottle. I find that the newer style tastes like they are using more chardonnay in the blend (the old style was 50% Pinot Noir), I believe that this reflects the market's desire for lighter champagnes, and I would prefer that they muck around with the blending of the Grande Cuvee than the vintage wines. I also wonder if LVHM might be pushing the house to release the Grande Cuvee sooner than they would have in the past.
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Anybody here tried the 96 Krug yet? Is it worth the going rate? Do I already know the answer to that question? I'm afraid I do.

But I'm having a hard time getting my mind around the idea of paying $60+ more for a 750 than I paid for magnums of the killer 1988. Hell, you used to be able to find Clos du Mesnil for this kind of coin!

Price creep + weak dollar = bummed-out me.

But I do love me some Krug. And the 96s have been awfully good.

I loved the 90 and have some of the 95 but have not tried it yet. Any thoughts on the 95?

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I loved the 90 and have some of the 95 but have not tried it yet. Any thoughts on the 95?
The 1995 Krug reminds me most of the 89 vintage, more because the bodies are similarly light as opposed to the opulence of the 1988 or the 1990. The 1995 Krug has an incredible nose, reminiscent of yellow cake batter with a touch of stone fruit. 1995 was the first decent vintage in Champagne since 1990, and I have found that the wines tend to be on the lean side (this could also be one of the reasons why the Grande Cuvee is also on the lean side). September of 1995 was wetter than many of the other decent vintages, this did no bring on rot, or damage the harvest, but I believe that this might have plumped the grapes and diminished the concentration of flavor.
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Just as heavy a hitter, Now, but not in the older vintages. SALON Le Mesnil Blanc de Blanc is the other Golden Child of the Marque houses. Had the 1988 the other day for 225 (from a restaurant list)...not bad considering that the current release usually sits around 350-450 for the current 95, and 96 vintages. The 88 was AMAZING!! plenty of life ahead for sure :blink:

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I wouldn't use the term disappointed to describe my feelings about the newer style of Grande Cuvee, while I do prefer the older bolder style over the lighter style reflected with the new bottle. I find that the newer style tastes like they are using more chardonnay in the blend (the old style was 50% Pinot Noir), I believe that this reflects the market's desire for lighter champagnes, and I would prefer that they muck around with the blending of the Grande Cuvee than the vintage wines. I also wonder if LVHM might be pushing the house to release the Grande Cuvee sooner than they would have in the past.
It's like they've replaced Elle Macpherson with, I dunno -- Kate Moss. Or something. The ample size of the earlier cuvee was really alluring, especially as it was presented in such a well-balanced package. Isn't being full-bodied and full-flavored a Krug hallmark? The new Grande Cuvee bottlings lack the toastiness of the old ones, too.

It's hardly a bad wine -- just inferior to the earlier iterations and not necessarily in keeping with the house style I love so much.

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My great fear is that this new, "lighter" of Krug Grand Cuvée is a direct result of their ownership by L.V.M.H., the luxury goods concern which is comprised of Louis Vuitton, Moët & Chandon, Hennessey, Veuve Clicquot and now Krug (among other brands).

My hope was that the acquisition by L.V.M.H. would provide steady cash flow to Krug, and that they would leave Krug alone.

Alas, that appears to have been too much to hope for. I hope that this is merely a temporary dip in quality and style, not a wholesale change.

Krug wasn't "broken", there was no need to attempt to "fix" it. I'm terribly dismayed by this development. I wonder what British wine writer Tom Stevenson would say about it.

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I wonder how the Krugs themselves feel about this. Surely, the shift isn't lost on them. I once had the pleasure of lunching with Olivier Krug, who said -- over glasses of the Grande Cuvee and the then-unreleased 1990 Brut and the 1990 CdM -- that he rarely takes a non-breakfast meal without drinking some of his family's wine. (I almost asked him right then and there to adopt me.)

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I wonder how the Krugs themselves feel about this. Surely, the shift isn't lost on them. I once had the pleasure of lunching with Olivier Krug, who said -- over glasses of the Grande Cuvee and the then-unreleased 1990 Brut and the 1990 CdM -- that he rarely takes a non-breakfast meal without drinking some of his family's wine. (I almost asked him right then and there to adopt me.)
I believe that Carolyn Krug is still single and lives in New York.
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