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  • Country ranking ?

    387
  • Producer ranking ?

    29
  • Decanting time

    20min
  • When to drink

    from 2020
  • Food Pairing

    Sashimi and sushi

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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At first sight, the beautiful light golden color promises radiant freshness. The nose begins with an expressive bouquet of ginger, candied citrus and quince, followed by richer notes evoking lemon meringue tart, plum and mirabelle. On the palate, a very balanced Champagne with light notes of brioche and honey giving way to an array of fresh citrus, including oranges, lemons and mandarins, enhanced by a very elegant finish.

Krug 2004 is a dialogue between shining Chardonnays (39%) and the backbone of Pinot Noir (37%) combined with the vivacity, tension and citrus notes of Meunier (24%).The elegance of Krug 2004 comes after over 12 years in the cellars gaining in harmony, expression and finesse. Krug 2004 is the last of the second trilogy in the history of the House, the first being 1988, 1989 and 1990 and the second 2002, 2003 and 2004. As with all Krug Champagnes, Krug 2004 will continue to gain with the passage of time.

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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.

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Wine Information

As the release of Krug Vintage 2004 marks three consecutive Krug vintages – the first such occurrence since the trilogy of 1988, 1989 and 1990 (interestingly 1989 was released before 1988, also the last occurrence of a non-consecutive release, prior to 2003 being released before 2002)

The 2004 season followed a hot year, 2003 saw heavy spring frosts that delayed the bud burst and the heat of the summer resulted in small crop that was moderate in quality, this heat was better for Chardonnay; by autumn growers saw many buds had set for the following year, the moderate winter of 2003 and long cool spring in 2004 saw an abundance of fruit set, later than normal. In late summer the grapes ripened perfectly in the radiant sunshine.  The beautiful weather at harvest time from mid-September to early October made for a generous year following the challenging extremes and limited yields of 2003.  There was a breadth of choice of grapes in 2004, offering more characterful yet mature grapes than in any previous harvest.

“The wines of the year held great promise,” says Krug Cellar Master Eric Lebel.  “They were at once highly expressive, bright and undeniably elegant.  The vivacity, tension and citrus notes of the Meuniers and the shining Chardonnays, combined with the backbone of Pinot Noir, gave rise to a very balanced year.”

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Vintage 2004

A great example of how large yields do not necessarily mean poor quality in Champagne. As a reaction to the previous year's low yields, the vines produced one of the largest crops on record. The growing season proceeded without major difficulties but the bumper crop called for bud thinning. August brought about cooler weather and some rains, increasing the risk of rot. The massive crop, averaging 13,990 kg/ha, was picked from September 18th onwards. The quality was a pleasant surprise; vibrant wines with appropriate intensity, refined charm and refreshing lightness. This vintage impresses me more and more, and I feel tempted to give it the full five stars. It comes with a rare balance of freshness, lightness, yet fine aromatic intensity. Post-release, this vintage has proven to be slow to age, and elegant wines are likely to keep on ageing gracefully. Dom Pérignon and Louis Roederer Cristal both excelled.

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Tasting note

color

Medium and Yellow

ending

Long, Flavorful and Lingering

flavors

Apricot, Toasty, Mineral, Citrus and White fruits

nose

Intense, Complex and Refined

taste

Perfectly balanced, Concentrated, Multi-dimensional, Developing, Medium-bodied, Firm, Elegant, Vivid and Dry

Verdict

Intelligent and Sophisticated

Written Notes

Krug 2004 – This is a glorious example of vintage Krug. One of only three vintage Krugs to have more Chardonnay than Pinot Noir in the blend (the others being 1998 and 1981). Floral notes. Grapefruit, perfumes, nuts. More elegant than 2002 with what seems like near-biting acidity. Refined and with great finesse. 98.

  • 98p

Pale lemon yellow. Chalky, apples, minerals, sea front, almost salty with oysters nose. Fresh acidity, apples, minerals, fresh and detailed, minerals, intense, long finish. 95

  • 95p

Developed golden yellow colour. Complex, evolving nose is very refined, toasty and oxidative. Apples, stone fruits, bricohe and nuts. Dry, broad and firm palate. Mouthfilling texture. Long harmonious finish with apricots and walnuts. JL 95p (Oct 2021)

  • 95p

ID 216022. 39% Chardonnay, 24% Meunier, 37% Pinot Noir. They thought this would be ready before the 2002, so they had some bottles disgorged in 2014. The 2004 growing season benefited from 2003 when there was such a small yield post frost that the vines built up reserves, meaning that 2004 was a very generous crop and selection was permitted.
Very pure and greenish straw. Savoury nose. Very dense but flyaway linseed nose. Quite rich on the palate. Tight knit. Very solid with baked-apple flavours. Lots of density. Called ‘luminous freshness’ by the Krug team. Masses of energy.

  • 94p

asted blind wine 8. The colour is starting to golden but still quite youthful, this is a little more expressive and complex on the nose than wine 7 tasted alongside, which turned out to be the 2009 based 165th Grande Cuvee. Again the palate here is impressive with promising weight and texture, there is plenty of tension, too on the back, it is still youthful stylistically. This is promising but it isn’t quite yet in its stride. I picked this one correctly. 2004

  • 93p

This is an extremely fresh edition and remains in a restrained mode with an intense serve of chardonnay's lemon citrus dominating the nose alongside lime zest, bright florals, grassy elements, fresh dough, white stones and very subtle background spice. The palate has a svelte and elegant shape. Smoother than the 2002, it shares the same quality of precision but not the raging power of that vintage. The poise is unquestionable, the wine very reserved, with plenty of lemon-infused citrus flavors, hints of fresh cashew and a lot of potential. Acidity holds superbly, the dosage is exactly where it should be. This is a classic release. It's all about chardonnay. Best from 2022 and will mature gracefully in linear style in bottle for several decades.

  • 97p

Tasted in August 2019 in Helsinki, Finland. One of the 20 champagnes tasted. Distinctive nose, elegant and sophisticated, fine acidity and complexity. Very tasteful one.

  • 93p

A pale gold. Fresh and fruity aromas of lemon meringue and plums develop into more floral notes. On the palate, this vintage is full of fresh citrus-fruit flavours and the slightest touch of mint, with a long, luminous freshness that plays on the tongue.

From a fresh vintage and internally nicknamed Luminous Freshness, Krug's light golden colored 2004 Brut is brighter on the nose than the 2002 that I tasted next to it. There are fresh, candied citrus as well as ripe yellow-fleshed fruit aromas along with floral and lots of chalky notes on the well-concentrated bouquet. The palate is incredibly fruity, vibrantly fresh yet delicate and very well balanced and is provided with great elegance, texture, finesse and remarkable mineral tension.

  • 95p
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Information

Origin

Reims, Champagne

Other wines from this producer

Blanc de Blancs

Clos du Mesnil Vinothèque

Grande Cuvée

Grande Cuvée 160ème Édition

Grande Cuvee 161st edition

Grande Cuvée 162ème Édition

Grande Cuvee 163th edition

Grande Cuvee 164th edition

Grande Cuvée - 165ème Édition

Grande Cuvée -166ème Édition

Grande Cuvée 167ème Edition

Grande Cuvée 168éme edition

Grande Cuvee 169th Edition

Grande Cuvée 170ème Édition

Grande Cuvée 171ÉME Edition

Grande Cuvée Edition 167

Krug Clos d'Ambonnay

Krug Clos du Mesnil

Krug Collection

Krug Rosé

Krug Rosé 25ème Édition

Private Cuvée

Private Cuvée Extra Sec

Rosé - 18ème Édition

Rose 21st Edition

Rosé 22 Edition

Rosé 27ème Édition

Vintage

Inside Information

Krug Vintage 2004
Krug ID: 216022 | 39% CH, 37% PN, 24% PM | Dosage: 6g/l | Disgorged: Spring 2016 | Ageing: 13 years on the lees
Slightly light on the nose right after pouring; with few minutes in the glass it comes more forward with grapefruit, concentrated lemon and apricot. On the palate lots of depth and weight of fruit, great mouth-feel with fresh acidity and fruit-forward flavour and wow, what a backbone! Feel like its holding back at present has great weight of fruit and loveliness; apricots and nuttiness just starting to open and just hints of those brioche notes that come out with age. Great length, real subtlety and a hint of salinity on the finish. You can see this champagne ageing for 15-20 years. 19/20

 

From a fresh vintage and internally nicknamed "Luminous Freshness," Krug's light golden colored 2004 Brut is brighter on the nose than the 2002 that I tasted next to it. There are fresh, candied citrus as well as ripe yellow-fleshed fruit aromas along with floral and lots of chalky notes on the well-concentrated bouquet. The palate is incredibly fruity, vibrantly fresh yet delicate and very well balanced and is provided with great elegance, texture, finesse and remarkable mineral tension. The 2004—a blend of Chardonnay (39%), Pinot Noir (37%) and Pinot Meunier (24%)—is completely built on freshness and taut yet balanced vitality. It is the last of the second trilogy in the history of the House, the first being 1988, 1989 and 1990 and the second 2002, 2003 and 2004. Drink 2018-2034.

Score: 96+Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate (237), June 2018

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