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  • Country ranking ?

    326
  • Producer ranking ?

    23
  • Decanting time

    15min
  • When to drink

    now to 2025
  • Food Pairing

    Scampi and caviar toasts

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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100 points Vinous

 You know you are in for a special night when the first wine served is Krug's 1988 Clos du Mesnil. Where do I start? Everything about the wine is sensational from start to finish. An endless array of crushed rocks, minerals and bright citrus emerges from this intensely pointed, chiseled Champagne. The elegance, though, is really in the texture. The wine has acquired an element of vinosity over the years, with the tiniest a...

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The Story

Krug Clos du Mesnil, a very rare Champagne, showcases the unique character of a single plot of Chardonnay, harvested in a single year. Our 1.84-hectare vineyard overlooked by the village church has been protected by walls since 1698. The vineyard is located in the heart of Mesnil-sur-Oger, one of the most iconic villages for Chardonnay in the Champagne region. Krug Clos du Mesnil has an expansive generous personality enhanced by the finish whi...

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Wine Information

The story of Clos du Mesnil started in 1698 when a 1,85 ha plot in the outskirts of the village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger was sealed with walls for reasons unknown. The village grew in size and in 100 years the vineyard plot was surrounded by housing. The walls protected the vineyards from being dug up and from being used for housing purposes. The plot landed in the hands of the Krug family, when the brothers were searching for new vineyard acquis...

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Vintage 1988

CHAMPAGNE: From this year, the most classic and refined champagnes were producedChampagnes 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,...

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Average Bottle Price

2015 2014 2012 2010 2005 2000
1 406€ +0.5% 1 399€ +0.7% 1 389€ +20.2% 1 156€ +236.0% 344€ +28.4% 268€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Latest Pro-tasting notes

18 tasting notes

Tasting note

recommend

Yes

taste

Perfectly balanced, Well-Integrated, Complex, Full-bodied, Vigor, Jammy and Toasty

color

Medium

ending

Long, Extensive and Pure

flavors

Vanilla, Honey, Truffles, Creamy, New-oak and Caramel

nose

Intense

Verdict

Impressive and Masterpiece

Written Notes

We started with the 1988 Krug Clos du Mesnil. It was delicious and is generally Bruce’s favorite of Krug’s exemplary wine. This had all the yellow richness and great spice that you expect with a great Clos du Mesnil, along with cedar, smokiness and a tangy, long finish.  This is one for the ages (97+).   

  • 97p

Miraculously solid and savoury with a strong toastiness of its own. An extremely serious wine in its own right ideally served with food – and indeed we were treated to slivers of foie gras (with the all-important sea salt) on what one might call baguette melba toast – delicious!

  • 95p
Developing deep yellow colour. A seductively harmonious nose of rich creaminess, nuts, apples and old wood. Yet again a sublime acid structure linear and focused. Rich, harmonious and absolutely stunning at the same time. Lively,juicy and concentrated. Paeking right now but there is no hurry!
  • 87p
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Information

Origin

Reims, Champagne

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Excellent

Fake factory

None

Glass time

30min

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Inside Information

In the Cellar 
Jul 2011
Antonio Galloni 100 Drink: N/A  
You know you are in for a special night when the first wine served is Krug’s 1988 Clos du Mesnil. Where do I start? Everything about the wine is sensational from start to finish. An endless array of crushed rocks, minerals and bright citrus emerges from this intensely pointed, chiseled Champagne. The elegance, though, is really in the texture. The wine has acquired an element of vinosity over the years, with the tiniest and finest of bubbles and simply extraordinary finesse. It is a wine of mind-blowing purity and breathtaking elegance. Simply put, wine does not get better than this. The 1988 Clos du Mesnil is an eternal wine.
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