Krug Clos du Mesnil - Blanc de Blancs 2008 (750ml)
Price: $2499.00
Sale Price: $2185.00
| Producer | Krug Clos du Mesnil |
| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne |
| Varietal | Chardonnay |
| Vintage | 2008 |
| Size | 750ml |
O: 100 Points
Peter Moser (Falstaff):
Medium greenish yellow, fine golden reflections, delicate, integrated mousse. A hint of fresh lime and almond cake, nuances of orange marmalade, ethereal notes, some lemon balm, dark minerality, a multi-faceted bouquet. Taut on the palate, underlying cookie, full-bodied and elegant, fine ripe fruitiness with white stone fruit, lemony nuances, some candied kumquats, convincing freshness, salty notes, some herbal savouriness in the finish, has great length and assured ageing potential; a wine of convincing depth and character. Alcohol 12.5%.
James Suckling: 99 Points
The first aromatic impression is surprisingly floral in the context of such a hot vintage, and then evolves to reveal elements of menthol, liquorice and yellow fruit. With aeration, the bouquet blossoms to reveal increasing complexity, including spicy notes. On the palate, this is a fleshy and densely textured Clos du Mesnil with a salty tang on the finish, one that stands out for its singularity, albeit in the context of a classic crystalline, tense purity. Bravo – a work of art!
Vinous: 99 Points
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. Drink: 2026-2048. (May 2022)
Wine Spectator: 98 Points
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
Wine Advocate: 98+ Points
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
