All photos by courtesy of "远峰一青"

http://www.krug.com/en/Prestige.aspx#InternalLabel=7

Krug Clos du Mesnil 1995 Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

Tasted in April 2009

Straw yellow with golden hue. Very delicate effervescence.

On the nose, lime, apple, orange peel, walnut, acacia honey and vanilla, with only slight notes of iodine. The impression from the nose is that this bubbly is already in the process of evolution, yet the noticeable acidic citrus aromas hint it's still far from maturity.

The first attack on the palate is tight and concentrated citrus fruit with depth of sea salted orange peel. The many tiny yet vigorous bubbles perform waves of 'teasing' massage to your tongue. The complexity lies in subtle flavors of honey and walnut. Finishing with mouthwatering acidity as well as echoes of lingering malt sugar. Best to be served between 10 - 12 deg.c.

This is a champagne of warm, welcoming and smiling character -- not only on the nose and palate, but also in the body feel - I feel my stomach warmed up with each swallow! I have to admit that at this stage of evolution, Clos du Mesnil 95's acidity is a touch too dominant, yet all my friends enjoyed it very much because of its warm character! With such classic acidity and concentrated fruit, this one shall be better after 2015!

Krug claims the distinctive note of honey to be one particular characteristic of Clos du Mesnil, in addition to the elegance of Chardonnay and the mineral aromas of terroir from Le Mesnil. As opposed to Salon, I feel Krug Clos du Mesnil is more gentle in nature, while Salon is more about purity and wildness. I guess this has to do with two key factors: 1) Clos du Mesnil is a wall enclosed vineyard, thus having a slightly warmer and more stable microclimate; while Salon's vines are located mid slopes without wall enclosure, thus more exposed to Mother Nature; 2) Clos du Mesnil, starting from 1st vintage of 1979, is always 100% first fermentated in small old oak barrels - the Krug way to bear the Krug taste...while Salon switched to stainless steel vats for first fermentation since 1976 vintage to seek extreme purity of fruit and terroir. This is a matter of style with the result that the more gentle taste of Krug is more appealing to the general public than the austere and extreme Salon. Yet a classic Salon at its peak can provide such wild and jaw-dropping terroir wine experience that one could never forget.

P.S. My other Clos du Mesnil vintages tasting experiences:

- Clos du Mesnil 1988, tasted in Feb 2003

Such a mountain-stream-pure experience! The feel of spring! My best Clos du Mesnil experience so far. With Clos du Mesnil,   personally I prefer bud to blossom...

- Clos du Mesnil 1990, tasted in Oct 2007

A great disappointment. The fruit seemed overripe and the palate is not clean. Though Richard Juhlin appraised Clos du Mesnil 1990 to the heaven, I would have to agree with Tom Stevenson that Clos du Mesnil 1990 is no good. Tom said Clos du Mesnil 92 is actually better than 90, so I look forward to tasting 92 in coming years!                              

增补: 鸣谢小P提供 KRUG CLOS DU MESNIL 1995 品酒过程记录

18:25開瓶

開瓶時，有明顯的陳皮、柑橘以及些許堅果香氣，香氣直接而強烈，F body，口中陳皮味強，酸度高但帶有一種溫暖的感覺而非冷冰冰。(酒温近14 DEG.C)

10~25min，舒服的青檸、陳皮與礦物香氣，口感飽滿而氣泡只有些許但不失平衡，finish不短，一樣有那溫暖的酸度作結尾。(酒温12-13 DEG.C)

50~60min，香氣相似但更加奔放且合諧，感覺到平衡度極佳的氣泡與口感，而finish有些許的苦，而這苦更感覺到此酒的深度。(此段時間表現最好,酒温10 DEG.C左右)

1.5hr，香氣漸變單一，主要以陳皮與麥芽糖為主，而酸度也略為突出，平衡度稍為欠佳。

105min，陳皮、木桶、青檸香氣令人舒服而不刺激，口中飽滿香氣四溢，finish酸沒有先前的突兀，整體表現良好。