The bottle of Krug 1971 Champagne had been properly stored by myself since shortly after release. The cork was still good, and carbonation, although reduced somewhat as would be expected in an old Champagne, was still adequate. The bubbles were fine and slowly released as the glass of wine was consumed. The color is fairly light yellow, a little darker than when young. It is typical Krug, being fairly full and complex with a toasty, complex character. It is not their very best year, but I can not find anything serious to complain about. Although the Krug is over 1/3 century old, it is still holding quite well. Some of the very best vintage Krugs can last over 50 years, and some Krugs from the late 1920s were reported to still be drinking well a few years ago. The cork likely is often the limiting factor in how long very top Krugs will hold up, provided they are stored well. If I were forced to select only one Champagne to drink, it would be Krug. However I like to drink other Champagne for variety, and others may well like another Champagne more than Krug. Unfortunately the price of vintage Krug now runs in the hundreds of $US, even for a fairly recent vintage, and their multiple-vintage is not far behind. The bottle I had still had the price sticker - US$ 27.89. That was a high price in the 1970s, but inflation since then only explains part of the price increase for Krug.
- posted
16 years ago