x
  • Country ranking ?

    244
  • Producer ranking ?

    15
  • Decanting time

    30min
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    scallop carpaccio with vanilla and kumquat

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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Wine Advocate-Parker :
Krug's beautifully citrus colored 2002 Blanc de Blancs Brut Clos du Mesnil (ID 415068 - disgorged IV/2015) shows a deep, complex, very clear and precise if not etherial bouquet with citrus aromas intertwined with chalk and noble brioche notes in the background. Pure, profound and vibrantly fresh on the palate, this is a straight, athletic, very intense and expressive yet highly elegant and finessed Clos du Mesnil with a unique fresh fruit character! The 2002 reveals a great mineral structure and chalky texture on the palate. The highly complex, energetic finish reveals bracing freshness and vitality as well as the charm and creaminess from the vinification in barrels and possibly the dosage wine that seems to boost the Krug style. While terroir wine is the result of hands-off winemaking, Krug's Clos du Mesnil is perhaps a very particular Krug Champagne--it has great quality, style and complexity that is the result of the winemaking and the addition of the dosage wine. How the Clos du Mesnil would taste if farmed biodynamically, picked later and dosed with nothing but itself is a pointless question, but it hasn't left my mind since I tasted the paradoxical 2002, which is terribly fresh on one hand and also has this unique Krug reserve style. Notabene: This doesn't include the hypothesis that the wine could be any better. It would just be different and surely less Krug, which is not what we really want, do we? Tasted April 2018.

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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 which powers through with extreme precision.

The vineyard was secretly replanted over eight years, and it was not until 1979 that the first harvest was deemed to fulfil expectations. When the wine was tasted, it proved so outstanding that the Krugs decided to bottle it on its own. There would be no "assemblage” – a bold decision amply justified by the exquisite quality of the single ingredient.

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Wine Information

Krug Clos du Mesnil 2002 is the expression of a unique plot of Chardonnay harvested in the year 2002. The rare beauty and singularity of the year’s grapes are conveyed by the generosity and aromas inherited from the clement circumstances of 2002, making this year an exceptional one: 

The single walled plot of Krug’s Clos du Mesnil lies in the heart of Mesnil-sur-Oger, one of the most renowned villages for Chardonnay in the Champagne region. This small plot of merely 1.84 hectare makes Krug Clos du Mesnil 2002 extremely rare. 

Krug Clos du Mesnil 2002 comes after 13 years in the cellars and will continue to gain with the passage of time, evidence that patience is the constant ally of all Krug Champagnes.

 

The Year 2002 in the Village of Mesnil-sur-Oger:The year 2002 offered a clement and generous climate, consistently warm, relatively dry, granting ideal conditions for grape maturation. As the grapes arrived at the press, they were in excellent and robust health.  Clos du Mesnil’s harvest took place between the 15th and 17th of September and gave birth to fruity, energetic, delicate and well-balanced wines.

Krug's beautifully citrus colored 2002 Blanc de Blancs Brut Clos du Mesnil (ID 415068 - disgorged IV/2015) shows a deep, complex, very clear and precise if not etherial bouquet with citrus aromas intertwined with chalk and noble brioche notes in the background. Pure, profound and vibrantly fresh on the palate, this is a straight, athletic, very intense and expressive yet highly elegant and finessed Clos du Mesnil with a unique fresh fruit character! The 2002 reveals a great mineral structure and chalky texture on the palate. The highly complex, energetic finish reveals bracing freshness and vitality as well as the charm and creaminess from the vinification in barrels and possibly the dosage wine that seems to boost the Krug style. While terroir wine is the result of hands-off winemaking, Krug's Clos du Mesnil is perhaps a very particular Krug Champagne—it has great quality, style and complexity that is the result of the winemaking and the addition of the dosage wine. How the Clos du Mesnil would taste if farmed biodynamically, picked later and dosed with nothing but itself is a pointless question, but it hasn't left my mind since I tasted the paradoxical 2002, which is terribly fresh on one hand and also has this unique Krug reserve style. Notabene: This doesn't include the hypothesis that the wine could be any better. It would just be different and surely less "Krug," which is not what we really want, do we? Drink 2018-2050.

Score: 98+ Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate (237), June 2018

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Vintage 2002

A cold winter and a mild late spring cued for a perfect June allowing early and fast flowering. Outstanding weather conditions prevailed and the season went on without dramatic turns. Rains in August raised concerns regarding gray rot, but finally sunshine and dry conditions throughout September resulted in an abundant crop of largely healthy fruit (11,930 kg/ha). Dehydration due to wind further aided in achieving perfect ripeness and additional concentration. This, and the cool nights, helped in retaining fresh acidity and, despite the ripeness (10.3% potential alcohol), the wines did not suffer from heaviness or a lack of life. A near-perfect vintage, which produced balanced Champagnes consistently around the region. The best show an impeccable combination of freshness, power, structure and finesse. However, some have matured aromatically quicker than expected and are already past their peak. 2002 produced an abundance of spectacular champagnes, such as Dom Pérignon (the entire range), Krug Vintage and Clos du Mesnil, Piper-Heidsieck Rare, Louis Roederer Cristal and Cristal Rosé, Ruinart Dom Ruinart and Dom Ruinart Rosé, Salon Le Mesnil and Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, to name a few.

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Average Bottle Price

2019
980€

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

26 tasting notes

Tasting note

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Written Notes

Very lively, taut and willowy. Very long and lean and vital. Sort of electric energy. Blackcurrant-leaf flavours.

  • 93p

This is a wine with staggering length and immense purity. It's as powerful as chardonnay can be, showcasing an incredible depth of pure fresh lemons, yellow grapefruit, honey and dried white and yellow flowers. The concentration and complexity of primary fruits are outstanding, and there are some more exotic flavors here too in the peach and green-mango spectrum. The texture is ultra-fine and creamy through the mid-palate, its majestic curves sweeping long around a sturdy mineral core. This is very silky and focused, offering gently creamy moments before twisting towards a composed, restricted and compressed chalk-like finish. It delivers an impression of chardonnay that captures incredible richness, fleshiness, persistence and power. Yet the acidity is staggering while being simultaneously perfectly balanced. Drink now but this will have a lot more to come after 2020

  • 100p

A bright and luminous gold, reminiscent of ripe wheat. Citrus fruits, white pepper and spices gently merge with lightly grilled nuts and brioche.This precise, pure and fresh champagne has tension, vivacity and great balance on the palate. Notes of peach, orange, citrus fruit and liquorice are all enhanced by a long finish. 



One grape varietal. One vineyard. One single year. Clos du Mesnil 2002 is the personification of purity, expressing the individuality and intensity of chardonnay in the most exquisite style.With its precision and freshness, Clos du Mesnil 2002 beautifully captures the exceptionality of a year marked by clement and warm conditions, which infused the harvest with generous aromas.

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Information

Origin

Reims, Champagne

Vintage Quality

Above Average

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Average

Fake factory

None

Glass time

45min

Drinking temperature

10

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 Collection

Krug Rosé

Krug Rosé 25ème Édition

Krug Vintage

Private Cuvée

Private Cuvée Extra Sec

Rosé - 18ème Édition

Rose 21st Edition

Rosé 22 Edition

Rosé 27ème Édition

Vintage

Inside Information

Krug Clos du Mesnil is the one exception to the Krug rule of blending, since it is the product, not merely of a single grape variety and a single year, but of a single historic vineyard. In this enchanting champagne, the purity of Chardonnay and the mineral aromas of the terroir are balanced by a discreet yet distinctive taste of honey, which is a particular characteristic of Krug Clos du Mesnil.

 

The Krugs purchased the Clos du Mesnil in 1971 as part of a total of six hectares of excellent vineyards. However, it was not until after the purchase, when they visited it for the first time, that they realized its full potential. What they found was a beautiful 1.85 hectare vineyard that dated back to 1698, as testified by a plaque on one of its walls.

 

At the time of the purchase, the Clos du Mesnil had been neglected for some years. The Krugs took the decision to restore the "garden plot” to its former glory by replanting it with Chardonnay vines. The simple solution would have been to replant the whole vineyard at once, but Henri Krug decided to replant the vines in stages, knowing that a champagne has more character when it is made with grapes picked from vines of different ages.

 

The vineyard was secretly replanted over eight years, and it was not until 1979 that the first harvest was deemed to fulfil expectations. When the wine was tasted, it proved so outstanding that the Krugs decided to bottle it on its own. There would be no "assemblage” – a bold decision amply justified by the exquisite quality of the single ingredient.

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