Krug 2002, nicknamed Ode to Nature, comes from a calm, generous year and is widely regarded as a high point among recent Krug vintages. Ripe fruit, firm structure and great length are all in balance.
About This Champagne
2002 was a mild, even season that delivered healthy, ripe fruit, and the blend is close to balanced: 40 per cent Pinot Noir, 39 per cent Chardonnay and 21 per cent Meunier. Unusually, Krug released its 2003 first and held the 2002 back until afterwards, as it had done before with 1989 and 1988. The extra time suited the wine, which pairs ripe, almost tropical fruit with a firm backbone and a lively, persistent finish.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Ripe fruit and citrus, with candied orange, honey and a smoky, toasted edge.
- Palate: Balanced and fine-boned, with tropical and crystallised fruit, blackcurrant, cocoa bean and honey.
- Finish: Vibrant and very long, with toast and citrus peel.
Serving & Food
Aim for 9 to 11°C and a tulip glass. It is drinking beautifully now and will keep for many years yet. Try it with sea bass baked in salt, veal with morels, or a simple plate of Iberian ham.
How to Enjoy
A special dinner where the wine is meant to be the talking point.
Product Details
Producer: Krug
Vintage: 2002
Region: Champagne, France
Blend: 40% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay, 21% Meunier
Format: 750mL
About the Maison
Blending at Krug is a committee job. In the months after each harvest, the Tasting Committee works through some 400 individual wines, from the new year and from the reserve library, and records around 5,000 tasting notes before any decision is taken. For a Vintage, the question is which wines tell the story of that harvest most clearly.
The work happens in a tasting room at the Krug Family House in Reims, where one wall holds 400 bottles as a nod to the number of wines auditioned each year. Every wine is tasted several times and given a mark out of 20, with its ageing potential noted, so the committee knows whether it belongs in that year's blends or in the reserve library.