Brut Vintage, Gift pack, 2003

The 2003 harvest at Krug, the longest in living memory, started in August (the earliest beginning since 1822) and did not finish until October. It was a harvest characterised by small yields of healthy grapes of an extremely varied level of maturity, over and under-ripeness, the latter due to vines stopping their maturation as a form of self-protection from the heat, the former the result of the warmth of the vintage. It was not a vintage where harvesting could be done in a single sweep. Krug's incredible and fastidious approach to winemaking including plot by plot vinifications in barrel (Grand Cuvée Krug can tap into 120 reserve wines made and aged individually), means that the Krug vintage assemblage changes to reflect the best terroirs of any given year. The 2003 blend includes a higher quantity of wines from Pinot grapes than usual and so less Chardonnay. Normally the latter makes up 40% of a Krug Vintage, but this year it accounts for just 29% of the Krug 2003. 25% of the blend comes from parcels of Meunier from villages such as Sainte Gemme, Villevenard and Courmas, whilst Pinot Noir from top south and north-facing slopes in Montagne de Reims makes up 46% - adding pedigree, composure and freshness to the final wine. Krug 2003 is a year without comparison, but if it ages anything like Krug's other "hot vintages" - such as 1959, 1962, 1976, 1979 and 1989 - then collectors are in for a treat. A recent 1976, one of the hottest of this series, was particularly delicious and full of life. Krug themselves were surprised by the wine's freshness for such a hot year, and as a result have given 2003 the appropriate title "Vivacité Solaire"