1981 Krug Collection Brut
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Tasting notes
The 1981 Collection (Magnum) has begun to slowly enter a plateau of maturity marked by slightly oxidative, tertiary notes that give the wine its burnished, resonant personality. Open-knit and creamy on the palate, the 1981 is an ideal wine for current drinking, as it is not likely to improve much from here. Stone fruit, vanilla, hazelnut, truffle, orange peel brioche and dried flowers are some of the many notes that grace the exquisite finish. This is a tremendous showing.
Critic scores
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
This is a wine of which Henri Krug, Olivier's father, has always been very proud – and as someone who married in 1981, I know how rare special wines from this vintage are. Disgorged seven to eight years ago. Lots of millerandage and a vintage that was very good for Chardonnay. Like 1998, more Chardonnay than Pinot Noir. Dense, orange peel on the nose. Very rich. Not as much finesse as the two Grandes Cuvées. Slight bruised-apple character now. (JR)
The 1981 Brut Collection isn't profound, but it is a wine that is at the peak of maturity and that is firing on all cylinders. This shows lovely complexity in its warm, smoky overtones and rich, nuanced fruit. The mousse could use little more finesse, but that is a relatively small critique for a wine that is showing so beautifully right now.
The 1981 Brut Collection isn’t profound, but it is a wine that is at the peak of maturity and that is firing on all cylinders. This shows lovely complexity in its warm, smoky overtones and rich, nuanced fruit. The mousse could use a little more finesse, but that is a relatively small critique for a wine that is showing so beautifully right now. My visit to Krug earlier this year was fascinating, as I had a chance to taste a number of 2009s and reserve wines. A tank sample of the 2009 Clos du Mesnil was one of the most exciting, viscerally thrilling wines of the trip, and remained etched on my mind for several weeks. I also had a chance to glance over newly found, hand-written original records that document the exact village breakdown of all the grapes Krug purchased in each vintage going back to 1928. This year I tasted a number of fabulous wines from bottle. Unfortunately I can’t include my impressions on Krug’s NV Champagnes because of the house’s insistence on not providing disgorgement dates for those wines. I was reminded of the importance of this information when I tasted a fabulous, utterly spellbinding bottle of the NV Rose. It was a truly beautiful Champagne, but owing to its recent disgorgement it needed at least a few years on the cork. Of course Krug gives a general indication of the disgorgement dates for their wines on the corks, but by that time, readers may have opened a bottle that needs more bottle age. Without this information it is impossible to give readers any reliable indication of when the house’s NV wines might start drinking well. With a retail price over $300 a bottle, opening a bottle of Krug’s Rose can be a very expensive learning experience. Krug fans will want to keep an eye out for my upcoming article on Clos du Mesnil, featuring complete notes back to the inaugural 1979. Importer: Moet Hennessy USA, New York, NY; tel. (212) 251-8200
About the producer
Krug is a remarkable Champagne House which only makes prestige cuvées. The wines – with their distinctive rich, complex, oxidative style – are some of the region’s best.