1995 Krug Brut Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil Grand Cru

I am much less enthralled with the 1995 Brut Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil, which comes across as excessively heavy and ponderous, with little of the delineation and nuance of the 1996. The aromas and flavors are surprisingly advanced for a wine of this age, and notes of roasted nuts and caramel suggest this won’t be an especially long-lived Clos du Mesnil. On the positive side, the mousse is exceptionally elegant. Still, I am not sure that this alone is enough at this level. No disgorgement date provided. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020. My tasting this year with Olivier Krug was fascinating as I had the rare opportunity to taste all of the house’s 1996’s side by side, a comparison that yielded very interesting results. Importer: Moet Hennessy USA, New York, NY; tel. (212) 251-8200

I am much less enthralled with the 1995 Brut Bland de Blancs Clos du Mesnil, which comes across as excessively heavy and ponderous, with little of the delineation and nuance of the 1996. The aromas and flavors are surprisingly advanced for a wine of this age, and notes of roasted nuts and caramel suggest this won't be an especially long-lived Clos du Mesnil. On the positive side, the mousse is exceptionally elegant. Still, I am not sure that this alone is enough at this level.

The 1995 Clos du Mesnil was simply awesome. A sweet, layered bouquet melded into a core of pure fruit that was a beauty to behold. A powerful Clos de Mesnil, the 1995 came across as a superb white Burgundy with bubbles. This bottle in particular was one of the finest – perhaps the finest – I have ever tasted.