Krug Grande Cuvée; of love lost

   "If only I could photograph its aroma and taste," I said mournfully. And for the first time in a long time I understood with my blood why the Krug Grande Cuvée was the desert island wine of many. There are bottles that bring you to your knees, that make you a believer or something. Anything. Or at the very least, this.

 

Once upon a time, I  was spoiled with Krug.

I had a friend who worked with Clicquot. When parent company  LVMH bought Krug from Rémy Cointreau in 1999, my good friend added Krug to the wines she shared with me on her entertaining budget, when she came to dinner, or at parties or wherever. She didn't hear any complaints.

But, she, a loyal girl like her then boss Mireielle (French Women Don't Get Fat,), was devoted to La Grande Dame. Mireille had a hard time with Krug, after all she practically birthed the Yellow Label and my friend started to feel guilty when she started to prefer Krug over Clicquot, as if she was the daughter of divorced parents and she was caught actually liking her dad's new girlfriend.

She resisted her affection at first and would try to persuade me, "I know you don't like Yellow Label," and then she upped the ante, "But the vintage is really excellent," and finally she conceded that even Grande Dame was not as good as Grande Cuvée.

I didn't have any baggage. I was thrilled with my good fortune from the first pop. And for years  I had Krug in all shapes, temperatures and formats. I was adept at young NV and at aged NV. Young was fantastic, older was glorious. Whenever in Champagne I visited. I tasted their old stocks and even was there for a blending session. Blind tasting Krug was easy, lime/meyer lemon- like acidity. Period. Joy? Period.

After Henri retired in 2002 the rumors started. A man, a videographer obsessed with wine  threatened death to me (really) if it could be traced back to him that Krug was working with stainless instead of wood. I tried to suss it out and immediately received a fedex letter from Krug denying it. I was never able to confirm it. But the taste slowly started to be dialed back. Less rich. Less complexity. Less family.

Henri Krug retired.  Caroline Krug, who was treated shabbily  by the New York City Clicquot office, retreated to Paris to work on another LVMH brand. Her father Rémi was soon out the door. By the time Mark Cornell came on board in 2003, The brand's taste, was deescalating. Krug was heading into its next phase; more dream and branding, less in the bottle.

 I tried to tell part of the story in my book The Battle For Wine and Love and so tracked down the then head of Krug, Mark Cornell. 

He told me how excited he was to be taking Krug into the twenty-first century. LVMH had initially hired him to revamp the cognac house Hine. “But for LVMH to take over Hine meant to ruin it,” he said. “It is a small house. A fine house. I couldn’t ruin the brand. So I updated it and found a good buyer. We could have made more money by selling it to a Russian firm, but we went with less money and a better buyer.”

 I said, “To take a phrase from the sixties, ‘If you love it let it go?’” He was polite to laugh, because it really wasn’t funny. From his story I gleaned that he thought he couldn’t bring himself to ruin Hine—but Krug? Perhaps that he could ruin.

                                                            ***

 Under Cornell's reign, LVMH killed off Krug.  I'm not sure of the method; whether their base wines are younger, more stainless, or more technology, but the wines are simply now coarse to my palate and sometimes unpleasant. But this bottle, probably bottled in 1999, aged up in my apartment for a baker's dozen in terrible conditions, lived and mellowed and deepened in only the way a wine with breeding could do, was a reminder of the glory that once was. The night was filled with champagne from other houses great and small. I parcelled out the sips and we genuflected.

I couldn't photograph the taste. Recording it in words seems ridiculous, shallow, simply impossible. But it was a waking dream, and one I'm trying to hold on to.

RIP Krug.

I've sung your eulogy before.

But I do believe in spirits and if you ever come to visit me again, my third eye will be open to receive you, and I'll have a glass on hand.

Comments

[D]

This is why you should drink Bollinger my dear. They still give a damn.

[Vinoexpressions]

Quite the eulogy. Now I know what to expect. "More dream and branding; less in the bottle." That sums up the message of your post quite well. Nice one.

[Alicefeiring]

(this came in as an email, and with his permission, I'm posting as a comment.)

I just read you recent entry about Krug and was just gob-smacked.

I was very fortunate back in the late 70's thru the 90's in having a father-in-law would amassed a spectacular cellar of French wines and Champagnes, Krug being the mainstay of the bubbly. Like you with your gal pal I drank a lot of it and was wonderfully spoiled. Just the other day as a gift for a friend and client I bottle a bottle thinking I was being so clever and extravagant- it ain't cheap at retail prices as you well know. After chilling it properly, we found it to be very lack luster and almost bland- BLAND mind you! I went back to my wine purveyor and told him of my disappointment. As a good client, he gave me another bottle gratis, which was also piss poor. The life had gone out of the wine, the aroma, the perfume that was so distinct was a tepid shadow of its former self. The taste was flat almost metallic with hints still of flint and a wee bit of earth with that soft sweetness like nectar but nothing, nothing like the sexy gal she once was. After reading your article I now understand why. Such a pity and sad.

Jeffrey

[Talk-a-vino]

This is so sad... Considering the price, Krug was my super-special occasion treat - looks like no more, unless I can find a pre-2003 bottle. Sigh.

[Darrylpriest]

Very sad news indeed. Guess the prices of prior vintages will increase even more now.

[Donnrut]

I hope you post some follow up, from Krug. It is a hard choice to make to write negative on such a brand. I've never tasted Krug, but the Bollinger cuvee is mighty fine for an entry level fizz. And Grande Dame pink, so fine, so fine.

[Michiel Sebastiaan Demarey]

@D: Sorry but since Kaufmann, the style of Bollinger has changed.. the toasty, masculine style is replaced by sterile chardonnay.
The new style of Krug is absolutely disappointing, Olivier mis-interprets the work of his ancestors. The same with Charles Heidsieck.. Thierry Roset replaces Régis Camus.. the style is gone. The world of Champagne has collapsed. Please go to champagnifique.com for more info... thank you

[Feastivals]

I couldn't agree with Michel more. It's not just Krug. I may be more disappointed with what has happened to Charles Heidsieck. That Champagne was so delicious and so afforable. Now the price has also skyrocketed.
So sad they want to fix what wasn't broken.