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Champagnes 

L to R, the 1985 in magnum, the 1989 in magnum, and the 1989 in 750 ml.

Krug Clos du Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs

[Editor's note: the photos here were taken in the fabulous wine cellar of "The Federalist" restaurant, whose carte des vins does include the 1989 Clos du Mesnil (but they do not stock magnums ... those are MINE!!!)] 

Considering that this is the first Superlative Pick in Champagnes, those who know me would only be more surprised at the fact that it took me this long to make it!

Despite this complete lack of surprise, the question remains "Forget about it being a Superlative Pick ... why is Krug Clos du Mesnil the Superlative Pick?". 

Forget about the aura that film and television has created about Dom Pérignon being "the choice" of the jet set. That aura may actually be true. But for those "in the 'champagne' know," the name of Krug is associated with being the finest in the world. Many oenophiles and champagne experts agree that all their champagnes, even their multi-vintage Grande Cuvée, are "prestige" champagnes.

[Another Editor's note (what, again??): in the future, we'll be doing an exhaustive feature on all the offerings of Champagne Krug (as if that wasn't expected, either!)] 

For this, our first infallible champagne pick, we chose the best of the best: Krug's vintage blanc de blancs, Clos du Mesnil. What makes it special? First, the grapes. Yes, Clos du Mesnil is a blanc de blancs (i.e., the wine is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes, rather than the normal combination of three different grapes in regular champagne). But the vineyards from which the grapes are harvested is a small, enclosed 4 hectare vineyard in Mesnil-sur-Oger (hence the name "Clos du Mesnil'). This tiny vineyard can render a proportionately small number of grapes, and therefore bottles of champagne. So with a good harvest, Champagne Krug can produce around 17,000 bottles for a particular vintage year (compared to several hundred thousand bottles produced by other champagne houses, even for vintage years).

While Clos du Mesnil does vary in taste from year to year, what "common" taste characteristics can you expect if you have the pleasure to uncork a bottle? First, expect to be overwhelmed; in terms of taste, Clos du Mesnil is easily the most powerful champagne. It has a full-bodied, vanilla, even "oaky" taste (just like all Krug offerings, their wines are fermented in oak "barriques", instead of aluminum vats). Second, the complete reliance of Chardonnay in the wine results in a wonderful biscuity flavor which increases with age.

The currently available 1989 in 750 ml. (right) and its big brother, the rare 1989 magnum.

Right now, the vintage on store racks (if you can find it) is 1989. This vintage of Clos du Mesnil was interesting, since it's the first time I've tasted an increase in fruitiness, with just a touch of apples. I was also surprised that the 1989 was less "citrusy" than its predecessor, the 1985 Clos du Mesnil (which in my opinion is one of the top five bubblies of all time).

FYI, the folks at Champagne Krug have informed me that for the 2000 holiday season, they expect to market the newest vintage of Clos du Mesnil, the 1986. For this vintage, Krug produced 14,479 bottles and only 250 magnums. I've not had the chance to taste the 1986 Clos du Mesnil yet, but will report as soon as possible.

One final thought about Krug Clos du Mesnil: pairing with food. With Clos du Mesnil, the question for me was never "Will Clos work well with this dish?". Rather, it's been "Will this dish work well with Clos?"; for me, Clos du Mesnil makes the wine the focus of the meal! Having said that, since Clos du Mesnil is a rich, powerful champagne, I've found that it's great with foods that are also rich and powerful, such as ossetra caviar (beluga is a bit too light for Clos). Clos du Mesnil is also wonderful with steaks, and spicy poultry dishes.

But even with those tasty dishes, don't be surprised if Clos du Mesnil is still the focus on your palate.

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