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The year 1988 alternated perfectly between heat and rain until harvest which took place between September 26th and October 6th, a year without excesses that created the conditions for a slow maturation keeping a very high level of freshness.
The result was extremely balanced harvested grapes, a perfect equilibrium between freshness and maturity. Being 1988 such a particular year, the creation of Krug 1988 was obvious. Krug 1988 is the blend of very refined and promising wines with solid structure, high freshness, extreme elegance, directness, purity, crystal and sharp finish. Krug 1988 is the blend of very expressive plot’s wines of Pinot Noirs (50%), Chardonnays (32%) and Meuniers (18%) from 21 villages, giving birth to a reserved, elegant, very classy and stylish vintage.
Krug 1988 stayed a bit close for quite some time, very discrete, nearly austere at the beginning but elegance and refinement have always been tangible. Today after more than 25 years in Krug’s cellars it is entering into a new, expressive phase, it is opening up beautifully all that was hidden and shy and needed coaxing is now revealing itself. I am confident this Vintage will take a while to emerge as a Krug Collection and will be always timeless impressive Champagne.
Krug 1988 is a treasure trove of emblematic savoir-faire from the House of Krug.
Wine Description
The Story
Unique to the House of Krug, every Krug Vintage is crafted to be different, to reveal the expression of a particular year. A year with character, a year with a special story to tell in a way that Krug alone can relate. To narrate this story, Krug has blended very expressive wines from a single year, enhanced by a stay of over ten years in the cellars. Krug Vintage is the story of a year as seen by Krug; there are as many stories as there are Krug Vintages.
Wine Information
Established in 1843, Krug has specialized solely in prestige and exceptional champagne. Dedication to quality takes precedence over quantity of production. Krug is the only Champagne House still fermenting all of its champagnes the age-old way, in small oak casks.
Krug releases vintage wines in only truly great years. The release of Krug 1988 marks the first time in Krug's 158-year history that its vintage chronology has been reversed. The Krug family decided to present the tender, warm and mature 1989 vintage first, and hold its 1988 vintage in Krug's cellars to realize its full potential.
Today, after more than a decade of bottle aging, Krug 1988 explodes on the palate with tremendous depth and complexity. The first impression is intense, yet it develops in the glass with delicacy, revealing lightly spiced notes of dried figs and ripe quince. Underlined by a superb structure, this wine maintains a remarkable freshness for its long aging.
Vintage 1988
CHAMPAGNE: From this year, the most classic and refined champagnes were produced. Champagnes are long-lived and mature slowly to their peak.
Winter and spring were fairly mild. Inflorescences began in good weather in June. Already during the next month, the cloud masses swarmed to the Champagne province. Finally, the sky broke right before harvest. The harvest remained smaller than in the previous year. Even though the weather was unstable, the vintage produced fine and elegant wines, of which many have just reached their peak. The wines are marked by high acids and a concentrated, precise style. A real classic vintage. There is no rush to enjoy these wines, as they endure storage well and will continue to develop well for the next 10–12 years. Indicative of a slowly maturing vintage is that Krug released to the market first the Clos du Mesnil 1989 vintage before the 1988 vintage. This year has also stayed in mind as the vintage when Jacquesson & Fils produced the first of its three late bottled special cuvées – the Jacquesson DT (Dégorgement Tardif).
Recommended glass shape
Average Bottle Price
2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2005 |
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481€ +5.7% | 455€ -4.4% | 476€ +7.7% | 442€ -4.3% | 462€ +28.0% | 361€ +102.8% | 178€ |