Krug Vintage Champagne Brut 2002
At the House of Krug, every Krug Vintage celebrates the distinct character of a particular year. A Krug Vintage is a blend of the most expressive wines from a single year enhanced by a stay of over ten years in the cellars. Every Krug Vintage is different: it is the Music of the year, captured by Krug.
The expression of the year 2002 as revealed by Krug: Ode to Nature. Krug 2002 is a charismatic Champagne which beautifully combines natural intensity, delicacy and bold elegance. It is the first Krug Vintage of the Millennium and was presented after Krug 2003, just as Krug 1988 left the cellars after Krug 1989. As with all Krug Champagnes, Krug 2002 will continue to gain with the passage of time.
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.
Tasting Notes
A blend of 21% Pinot Meunier, 40% Pinot Noir and 39% Chardonnay. The grapes are from historic parcels in Mesnil sur Oger, Oger, Avize, Trépail and Villers, as well as Ambonnay, Bouzy, Ay and Mareuil-sur-Ay. The wine was disgorged in the autumn of 2014 after sitting on the lees for 11 years in the bottle to then age a further two years after dégorgement. The character of the 2002 harvest exuberantly explodes in the glass with a lucent, pale-golden color and a bouquet of fresh fruit, hazelnut and slightly toasted almonds. All this on a cushion of tropical fruit, freshly cut pineapple, fresh ginger and red currant with a veil of linden honey in the finish. The mouthfeel is generous and full with charismatic intensity, vital tension and a vibrant richness of fruit which complement a lovely saline streak and an almost smoky hint. The finish has an exciting persistence, invigorated by an incessant and dynamic alternation of depth and acuteness. A Champagne with great energy that has only just begun to build a reputation.
Critical Acclaim
100 John Gilman
It is hard to believe that two and a half years have now passed since Champagne Krug unveiled its long-awaited 2002 Vintage Brut. I do not know if there have been different disgorgements of this bottling, but this one is the same as the last bottle that swept me off of my feet back in the spring of last year, having been disgorged in the autumn of 2015. The wine is a blend of forty percent Pinot Noir, thirty-nine percent Chardonnay and twenty-one percent Pinot Meunier in 2002 and is already one of the legendary vintages of Krug ever produced. The bouquet is deep, pure, ripe and vibrant, wafting from the glass in a marvelous blend of pear, apple, almond, a stunningly beautiful base of soil tones, subtle spice shading, patissière, a touch of citrus blossoms and that signature Krug smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine rock solid, mineral-driven and shows off stellar purity, with its full-bodied format seamlessly supported by great structure and grip. The mousse is impeccable, the complexity still youthful and growing with each visit and the finish, long, refined and absolutely perfect. This will last almost forever and I suspect at age fifty-seven, I will never drink it at its absolute zenith of evolutionary perfection. But, I admit very much enjoying my occasional visits as the wine is in climbing mode to that future peak! (Drink between 2022-2095)
100 James Suckling
Exotic and opulent with dried peaches and apricots, yet wild with croissant and pie crust. Full body. Layered and energetic. So complex with nutmeg and cinnamon. Perfect Champagne
100 Wine & Spirits
This has the stamina of the 2002 vintage from the first scent, a fragrance like pear skin and butterscotch, and something fresher, like meadow flowers. All of that fragrance comes in a wine that’s expansive and dry, almost austere in the power of its acidity. Over the course of several days, the wine remains impervious to the fraying of oxidation, instead building on its flavors, deepening to scents of white truffles. Initially, the power of the acidity not only cleans up after the wine’s substantial flavor, but also seems to lash all those notes together and rocket them through a buzz of energy that lasts for minutes. That energy, undiminished four days later, when the bubbles have finally gone, takes on a gentler power, presenting the harmony and elegance at the center of the wine. The 2002 may well be the greatest vintage wine Henri Krug produced during his four-decade career.
100 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. *Ranked #1 Top 100 Cellar Selections 2016
99 Decanter
Without question one of the most perfect vintages in Champagne, in which Krug has once again excelled. Released after the 2003 (as with the '89 and '88), this is a sumptuously magnificent 2002 which manages to eloquently express both the vintage and the maison’s unique savoir-faire. To my palate, this majestic effort is drinking exquisitely now, but will keep and improve for many more years. It is dense, exotic and powerful, underpinned and framed by a firm spine of acidity. There are so many hedonistic sensations to tease the supply textured palate, including honey, roasted almonds, cream, minerals, stone fruits and hazelnuts. Superbly constructed, this is a symphony of flavours that linger effortlessly on the palate for minutes, it is pure pleasure. Sixteen years on, this is just hitting its stride.
97 Burghound
There is a distinctly phenolic character to the secondary-tinged yet super-fresh nose reflects notes of bread, yeast, pear, baked apple, spice and a hint of citrus. The bold and full-bodied flavors possess superb complexity while being underpinned by a notably fine but dense mousse, all wrapped in a gorgeously persistent finish. This is a seriously impressive effort and one of the best of the Krug Brut vintage series released in many years. Note that while this should continue to age effortlessly, it could certainly be enjoyed now.
97 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.
96 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.