When you're a wine lover and your Ph.D. advisor is a Champagne lover, how do you celebrate the evening after defending your Ph.D. dissertation? With Krug of course! My advisor and I split the cost on the 1996 a few years back, to save for this very occasion. And he decided that it would be a great time to open his 1988 (which needed drinking), as neither of us would probably ever again have the chance to drink two vintage Krugs side-by-side. In short, the 1988 was a bit underwhelming at first, possibly having suffered from less than ideal storage, but it came around at the very end, and wowed us. And the 1996 . . . . awesome . . . . just awesome.
Krug, Brut, Champagne 1988
Golden, hint of orange, some burnish, but surprisingly light for its age. Great nose, very fine, with depth: bread dough, blood orange, ripe apple, peach, mineral, a hint of mature fruitcake notes. A really nice, mature nose. Love the nose. Very similar on the palate, with very prominent, almost tart, limey acidity. Nice orange rind and deep mineral on the finish. Full bodied and deep, with some power behind it, but really elegant. A really excellent wine, with nice ripeness and balance, and yet, at first it felt like there was something a bit off here, perhaps due to less than ideal storage - just didn't have the wow factor you would expect from a vintage Krug. But returning to a couple hours later, after drinking the 1996, there was a total transformation! Less tart, much richer, more complex, some hazelnut, awesome nose. Nearly as good as the 1996. 5 - 10 more years, probably more for a properly stored bottle. **** (4 stars) [8/16/11]
Krug, Brut, Champagne 1996
Light golden with hints of orange/salmon (in fact, very similar to the 1988, but a bit lighter). Tremendous nose (!) with endless depth, but relatively reserved at this stage. The palate: powerful and yet elegant, with intense flavors. Ripe green apple, blood orange, ripe peach/stone fruits, orange rind, hints of nuts, and raspberry, with a sense of creaminess. Endless length and complexity. Wonderful hazelnut notes on the nose and palate as it opens further. In terms of style and character, nearly identical to the 1988, but this is a much greater wine. The ripeness, power, and elegance are amazing. Such mineral depth. Just plain awesome! Keeps revealing more and more as it warms to near room temperature. In the last minutes before its gone, lots of green apple. Still a baby, it's potential is off the charts! Needs 10 more years. Can last until 2040 or so. And when it hits maturity . . . . I can only imagine. To say it is the greatest Champagne I've ever had would only insult it. One of the greatest wines I have ever had (in the top 5), and in fact the single greatest dry white I've had (sparkling or otherwise). Wow, wow, wow. *****(*?) (5 stars, potentially 6 with time - yes, on a 5 star scale). [8/16/11]
Incidentally, I like the label used for the 1988 better than newer style used for the 1996.
This pictured was posed after the fact.