1992 Krug Clos du Mesnil

The 1992 Clos du Mesnil require quite a bit of air to open up. It is an unusual Clos du Mesnil marked by elements of botrytis that lend it an exotic air. There is plenty of power and the reserve to age well for many more years.

Subdued, extremely pure, soil-inflected nose hints at lemon, ginger, smoke, minerals, iodine, nutmeg and hazelnut. From a sniff, I would have been as likely to say Le Montrachet or Corton-Charlemagne as Mesnil, but I would certainly have named one of the planet's elite sites for chardonnay. Very laid-back and dry, even austere today, with an extremely fine-grained texture and penetrating flavors of minerals, citrus skin, flowers and hazelnut. A thoroughly unevolved wine of great intensity and subtlety. Seems to grow even denser toward the back, but the bracing finish suggests that this great Champagne should really be forgotten for another four or five years.