Krug 2006

As I reported when it was released, Krug's 2006 Brut is clearly one of the vintage's highlights. Offering up aromas of dried fruits, pear, freshly baked bread, caramelized apples, honeycomb and toasted sourdough, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with superb concentration, racy acids and an impressively tightly wound profile for this demonstrative vintage. I observed last year that this is surprisingly reserved for the vintage, and if anything, that quality is even more in evidence today. While many 2006 Champagnes are likely to be at their best in their demonstrative youth, this is one wine unquestionably built for the long haul.

ID 118014. To be released in October 2019. (With potential stress because the 2019 harvest is likely to be so late.) Saved by a fine August. This was assistant winemaker Julie Cavil’s first tasting of the still base wines and is therefore her first known vintage on the market! Chef de Caves Eric Lebel was ill that summer. Outstanding Pinot Noir. Quite rich and polished. No hint of astringency. But zesty on top and with lots of undertow. (I’ve never heard anyone say of a Krug vintage that it shouldn’t have been released.) Long with a particularly rich finish. 2019-2030

Krug's superb 2006 Brut, which will be released this year, numbers among the vintage's high points, unfurling in the glass with a complex and expressive bouquet of tarte tatin, warm biscuits, ginger, honeycomb, dried white flowers, smoke and toasted nuts. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, broad and textural, with a fleshy attack that reflects the warm vintage but segues into a beautifully vibrant palate that's deep and surprisingly reserved, displaying superb definition, delicately chalky structure and a long, lively finish. While this is a powerful vintage Krug, it's also beautifully balanced and will give immense pleasure for decades. 2020-2045