Krug Clos du Mesnil Blanc de Blancs 2008 (750ML)

100 FS / 99 VM / 99 JS / 98+ WA / 98 WS

Medium green-yellow, fine golden reflections, delicate, integrated mousse. A hint of fresh lime and almond cake, nuances of orange jam, fine ethereal nuances, some lemon balm, dark minerality, multi-faceted bouquet. Tight on the palate, biscuit is underpinned, full-bodied and elegant, fine fruity sweetness of ripe white pome fruit, lemony nuances, some candied kumquats, convincing freshness, salty notes, some herbal spice on the finish, has great length and secure aging potential, a wine of convincing quality Depth and character.-Peter Moser, Falstaff

Krug’s 2008 Clos du Mesnil, tasted from two bottles, is a very, very special Champagne. Soaring aromatics, fine, chiseled fruit and understated depth are the signatures of a Champagne that is immediately captivating. Bright, salivating acids run through a core of citrus fruit, lemon oil, slate, chalk, mint and white pepper. A touch of reduction and a superb, fine mousse move the 2008 into a realm that straddles Champagne and a distinctly Burgundian expression of Chardonnay. The 2008 is going to be expensive, and I am already hearing that allocations will be miniscule. For readers who can find it, the 2008 is an essential Clos du Mesnil that will take its place among the greatest vintages made here, specifically the 1979, 1988 and 1996. If anyone wants to organize a comparative tasting of the four, plus maybe the 2004, I’m game! The 2008 Clos du Mesnil is a magnificent Champagne to savor over the next several decades. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

This is a powerful, sensual and intense Blanc de Blancs with lots of chalk, lemon, apricot stone, walnut, flint, biscuit, toast, white grapefruit and quince. Vibrant. tight and structured. Tight bubbles and a sharp backbone of acidity. Very long and persistent. Keeps going. Still a baby. Dosage 4g/L. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

Disgorged a year ago, Krug's 2008 Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil unwinds in the glass with notes of citrus oil, nougat, honeycomb, white flowers and a discreet hint of buttered toast and hazelnuts. Full-bodied, layered and chiseled, it's a taut, concentrated wine with a tightly wound core that's underpinned by a racy spine of acidity, complemented by a pretty pinpoint mousse and concluding with a long, chalky finish. Austerity without asperity is how I'd characterize this wine; and interestingly, though Krug likens their monovarietal single-vineyard cuvées to soloists vis-à-vis the orchestra of Grande Cuvée, in 2008 it's the Clos du Mesnil-sur-Oger—the soloist—that has produced the house's most complete wine. Given its structure and tension, it goes without saying that this will richly reward bottle age.
Chef de Caves Julie Cavil and I sat down to taste the newly released 2008 Clos du Mesnil—alongside the 2008 vintage and 2008-base Grande Cuvée 164ème Édition—at the house's cellars in Reims last week. At the same time, Krug's 2021-base Grande Cuvée, the future 177ème Édition, was in tirage, a reminder of how slowly time passes in Champagne. And meanwhile, work is well underway in the house's new state-of-the-art winery in Ambonnay, which is rapidly taking shape. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

A harmonious Champagne that marries the power and grace of a prima ballerina. Delivers a racy streak of acidity that's effortlessly knit to the layered range of tangerine, madeleine cake, dried mint and white blossoms, pink grapefruit sorbet and crushed hazelnut and almond notes. Finely detailed in texture -- almost luxuriously creamy -- echoing a pronounced note of salty minerality on the finish. Disgorged summer 2021. Drink now through 2038.-Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator