1998 Krug Clos du Mesnil
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Tasting notes
The 1998 Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil has developed beautifully since I last tasted it. What a wine. For the first few years of its life, the 1998 seemed to lack personality, then, suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, it blossomed. Today, the 1998 is rich, powerful and explosive, none of which was a few years ago. Layers of textured fruit, pastry, spices and crushed rocks jump from the glass. Still an infant, the 1998 promises to drink well for two to three decades. This is without question the best bottle of the 1998 I have ever tasted. Time to do another complete vertical?
Critic scores
Average Score
The Wine Advocate
Richard Juhlin
More reviews and scores
We started with Krug's 1998 Clos du Mesnil, a wine that keeps getting better and better with the passage of time. This bottle wasn't perfect, but then again, it has just been shipped in from London.
Very hot summer. Very crisp, powerful and refreshing nose with quite a bit of development. Almost aggressively bracing. There's a hint of ginger here and then a bone dry finish. This wine is really very intellectual as opposed to hedonistic. At the moment there is an almost astringent note on the end. Great nose; hard work on the palate. (JR)
We then made the jump so a set of younger wines that had been opened in advance. The 1998 Clos du Mesnil keeps getting better and better each time I taste it. This bottle was dazzling. The 1998 is probably never going to be one of the icons here, but it is stunningly beautiful just the same. The finesse of the mousse and the persistence, especially on the finish, are pure Mesnil.
About the producer
Krug is a remarkable Champagne House which only makes prestige cuvées. The wines – with their distinctive rich, complex, oxidative style – are some of the region’s best.