Krug Brut Champagne 1990 1.5L

98 points Wine & Spirits: "When I tasted this wine pre-release last year, it already showed itself to be great. Now with the benefit of an additional year of age, it may be the greatest Krug I've tasted. The wine has perfect harmony, all the elements in balance, a complex chord of flavor that lasts more than a minute after each sip. There's not much to say when a wine's internal energy and drive are so in tune with the flavors. Buy it if you can. Now 15 years old, it may have another 15 more to go without slowing down. (Dec 2005)"

97+ points Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar): "Full copper-gold color. Initially restrained, brooding nose exploded with aeration, showing apple, orange, apricot, honey, iodine, smoke, hazelnut, macadamia and a suggestion of dry oloroso sherry. Dense, full, chewy and rich; an extraordinarily solid Champagne with an intriguing suggestion of Calvados. Broadens toward the back and goes on and on on the echoing aftertaste, with rich, mellow notes of toffee, brown butter and marrow. Like the '92 Clos du Mesnil, this displays its powerful underlying acidity with aeration (Krug's wines never go through malolactic fermentation) and should be long-lived. (Nov 2004)"

97 points Wine Spectator: "An aristocrat. Big-boned and intense, yet with finesse and complex flavors of coconut, whole-grain bread, ginger, citrus and honey. Waves of flavor saturate the palate and the long finish picks up a mineral and smoke note. Very harmonious from start to finish. Drink now through 2020. 1,700 cases imported. (11/30/05)"

97 points Allen Meadows (Burghound): "1990 is one of my favorite vintages ever for this storied cuvée because while the vintage was on the riper side the high yields allowed the fruit to retain a very good level of acidity which made for balanced and ageworthy wines... The fantastically complex nose is comprised of an abundance of yeast and toast characters that don't completely dominate the essence of apple, pear, citrus, spice, acacia blossom and discreet orange peel scents. There is equally good depth to the delicious, full-bodied and powerful flavors that possess a lovely sense of vibrancy thanks to the still firm but fine mousse that shapes the delineated, delicious and impeccably well-balanced finale. In my view 1990 is one of the greatest vintages for this wine of the last 25 years and one that is still drinking well. While there is no additional upside development to be hand, neither is there any rush to drink up as this should continue to hold effortlessly for years to come. Drink: now+. (Oct 2015)"

96-97 points Richard Juhlin: "(PN 40%, CH 37%, 23% PM). I don't know how many years I've waited to try this much-talked-about wine. Now, at the age of fourteen years, Krug finally feels the 1990 is ready to meet the public. You don't have to be an Einstein to figure out that the vintage and the house's character would marry in perfect fashion. The wine is already monumental, with a style that lies somewhere between the acidly classic '88 and the generous, honey-tasting '89. To be honest, the acidity is high, but the fruit is so rich that the acidity is beautifully enveloped. Warmly toasted, almost burned, smoky aromas are present, together with notes of orchids, vanilla, and dried fruit--making one think of an older Krug of warmer years. It will probably take another seven or eight years before the wine has really reached its peak, but in December 2007 greatness and generosity had already made their appearance. (Sep 2012)"