From Soloist to Orchestra in 2002, Acte II

Three different musical expressions in a limited-edition case comprising three of Krug’s creations from the year 2002.

For Krug, each individual plot, through its wine, is considered to be a fine musician contributing its own unique character to a Krug Champagne. Thus, Krug Clos d’Ambonnay 2002 is a virtuoso soloist expressing the intensity of a single walled plot of Pinot Noir harvested in 2002, while Krug 2002 is an ensemble of musicians playing the music of the year. Finally, Krug Grande Cuvée 158ème Édition, composed around the harvest of 2002 with wines from ten different years, is the full orchestra playing the most complete symphony Champagne can perform.

The Du soliste à l'orchestre en 2002 acte II case is an invitation to Krug Lovers to experience these three lyrical compositions inspired by the year 2002.

Soliste à l'orchestre

The circumstances of 2002

The year 2002 was generous, consistently mild and relatively dry. The high point of this remarkably clement year was its long summer of warm days and cool nights that offered the ideal conditions for grape maturation.

Krug Clos d'Ambonnay 2002

The Clos d’Ambonnay is a 0.68-hectare walled plot located in the heart of Ambonnay, one of the most distinguished villages for Pinot Noir grapes in Champagne. The House of Krug invites Champagne lovers to discover the intensity of this Champagne from a single plot, one single grape variety – Pinot Noir – and the harvest of the year 2002.

Krug 2002

At the House of Krug, every Vintage is crafted to be different, celebrating the distinct character of a particular year. It is as if Krug 2002 were the music of the year, captured by Krug. Krug 2002 tells the charismatic story of an extremely serene and generous year with highly expressive wines, marked by a profound fruity character and a beautiful structure. Given the nickname “Ode to Nature” by the House due to its bountiful fruit, Krug 2002 combines intensity, delicacy and an insolent elegance.

Krug Grande Cuvée 158ème Edition

Every year since the foundation of the House of Krug, a new Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée is created to offer the fullest expression of Champagne. A very limited number of bottles of Krug Grande Cuvée 158ème Édition were discovered in Krug’s cellars where they were then kept waiting for this precise moment.

The generosity of the wines of 2002 was so astonishing that it seemed as if each one had already benefitted from the art of blending. For this reason, Krug Grande Cuvée 158ème Édition is a blend of just 76 wines from 10 different years, the youngest dating from the harvest of 2002, the oldest from the harvest of 1988. Blending so many different wines from different years lends the fullness of flavours and aromas that would otherwise be impossible to express with the wines of just one year.

This limited-edition offer will delight Champagne lovers across the world. It is a tribute both to this exceptional year and to the unique craftsmanship of the House of Krug, which allows for the creation of different expressions of nature, all of the same level of distinction.

From the very first tastings, we saw nature’s generosity in every plot.

Eric Lebel

Former Krug Cellar Master & Deputy Director of the House