Krug Brut #315043 2002 (750ML)

100 JS / 100 WE / 96 WS

#1 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selections 2016
#7 James Suckling Top 100 Wines of 2016

100 Points James Suckling: The much-anticipated 2002 has impeccable detail and depth with a lot of chalky, stony and flinty elements on the nose as well as a very fresh edge. The nose is very complex and wound up tight but presents itself as very integrated and compressed. There are aromas of lemon rind, lime juice and lime custard all at once, complemented in turn by a super-restrained hazelnut-like edge. Undertones of brown mushrooms, chalky minerals and lemon leaf. The palate has a core of sizzlingly intense, concentrated chardonnay framed within a powerful phenolic structure that will underpin the future of this Champagne. There's also plenty of acidity for the future and this will no doubt continue to evolve and blossom; it will be merely an act of refining its already impressive focus, linearity and magical finish. This is really a great, great vintage for Krug. Flawlessly fresh and as perfect as it gets. Give this time as it needs to settle: best from 2020 and then for another decade beyond.

100 Points 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. The wine could be drunk now, but it will age well into the the 2020s. - Roger Voss

96 Points Alison Napjus: 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. Drink now through 2027.