Krug Champagne Brut Vintage 2008 750ml

This is very structured and framed with an almost red sensibility. Very phenolic. Full-bodied in a tightly wound ball with so much going on. Very pinot like. Mineral and stone. Shell and stone. Iodine. Vinous. The bubbles just fade into the finish of the wine, which goes on for minutes. Turns to toffee and salted caramel with time in the glass. One for the cellar. Great length. Blend of 53% pinot noir, 25% pinot meunier, 22% chardonnay. Disgorged in beginning of 2020. Drink or hold.

There’s a supernova of sensation with each sip of this powerful version, starting with the vivid streak of mouthwatering acidity that drives a rich panoply of ripe black currant, mandarin orange peel and grilled nut flavors, accented by hints of candied ginger, briny oyster shell, verbena and ground cardamom. This burns bright from start to finish, yet its fine integration and lovely, raw silk–like mousse pull it all together into a seamless, vibrant package. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Disgorged autumn 2019. Drink now through 2038.

Just at the beginning of its life, this powerful and structured wine is still a bit restrained, yet even at this stage there are exquisite aromas of ripe pear, marzipan and spice. Although the aromas are still not very expressive, the texture and feel on the palate give the impression of immense potential. There is plenty of extract and thrilling acidity, but always in perfect balance. As Cavil notes: 'This is a wine marked by verticality and intensity'. The wine was disgorged with an extra-brut dosage in the summer of 2020. This will live for 50 years at least.

The 2008 Vintage is a nervy, electrifying Champagne, the likes of which has not emerged from Krug's cellars since the magical 1996. Bright and sculpted, with tremendous precision, the 2008 dazzles from start to finish. Stylistically, the 2008 doesn't have the toastiness or explosive breadth often found in young Krug, but that in no way detracts from its magnificent beauty. Krug ID: 419044. (Originally published in May 2021)

A vintage Champagne from this producer is rare. But 2008 was a great year in Champagne and that shows in this intense, still amazingly young wine. Freshness works with the richness to give concentration, density and the sure-fire possibility of long-term aging. So drink now, but the Champagne will last for many years.

There’s a profound and coiled energy in the 2008 Champagne Millésime, which pours a youthful medium golden hue and opens in the glass to aromas of crushed oyster shell, golden white peach, preserved lemon, shortbread, and fresh ginger. Medium to full-bodied, it has electric and powerful concentration and is packed with preserved Meyer lemon citrus oils, electric tension, and a laser-like mineral texture. Its mousse adds a white pepper spice and a long finish, lasting for ages on the palate. With a strong identity, intense mouthwatering freshness, and outstanding length, it’s not for the faint of heart, but this is going to be a wine we’ll be talking about in 30 to 40 years’ time.

From the classic Champagne vintage, the KRUG 2008 is a 53% Pinot Noir, 22% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Meunier possessing enormous tension and freshness with aromas warm lemon curd, crème brulé, and toast. A beautiful golden color, the medium to full-bodied palate is intense with spiced apple, butter biscuit, and a touch lemon zest bitterness that folds seamlessly into a satiny acid vibrancy laced with chalk. It is at once powerful and delicate throughout and finishes very long. According to the Krug iD320023 the bottle tasted was disgorged in the third quarter of 2020. 97 12.5% Drink now - 2038.

With its rather lean profile, Krug’s 2008 Brut is one of those wines that, to my palate, would be almost unrecognizable in a blind tasting—particularly given that it originates from a vintage evidently more favorable for Champenois viticulture than this release might suggest. Disgorged in 2021 with a dosage of 3.5 grams per liter, the wine opens in the glass with aromas evocative of lemon oil, freshly baked bread and quince mingled with golden apple, faint hints of honeysuckle and nuts. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and defined by a taut architecture and incisive acids that one might wish were more seamlessly cloaked within its core of fruit; yet the fruit informing the wine appears to have been harvested a little on the early side if one’s preferences incline toward the aromatic plenitude and texture that only full maturity can impart. As such, this vintage does not quite possess the textural properties and balance of Krug’s most compelling releases.