Krug Grand Cuvee 171st Edition NV Brut

The tightness and tension of this is impressive considering the youngest wine from this is 2015 (hot and dry year), with some wines going back to 2000. Ginger and orange zest. Some creme brulee. It's medium-bodied with apple, pie crust and floral character. It's salty and zesty yet, at the same time, complex and gorgeous. Chamomile and other floral teas highlight everything. Turns rich and flavorful at the finish. Terrific release. Really takes off at the end. Drink or hold.

A blend of 131 wines from 12 different vintages - the youngest being 2015, the oldest 2000 - this extraordinary beauty consists of 45% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay, and 18% Meunier. With all the easeful poise and underlying complexity of a Slim Aarons composition, it abounds in aromas of white flowers intertwined with brioche; preserved lemon and makrut lime; nuts (almond, pistachio); pie spice including cinnamon and ginger; and a smoky, almost salumi-like dash of cracked white pepper plus a whiff of earth. The entry is so cashmere-smooth and the finish so long that the palate seems - like its super-fine mousse - near-endless as it offers up grilled lemon, cream-splashed yellow plum, lime curd-topped biscuit, and a lithe throughline of salinity. It's the epitome of finesse.

Deliciously balanced, this Champagne is impressive. The iconic wine is in its 171st blend, meaning it combines vintages for the best result for each bottling, not a specific vintage. The 171st essence is dry, while also having fine textured fruit. This is a magnificent wine and worth aging for another year.

A vivid Champagne, with chiseled acidity and a fine, vivacious mousse creating a buoyant frame for layered flavors of crushed black raspberry, grilled nuts, pink grapefruit sorbet and coffee liqueur, plus fragrant accents of ground ginger and anise, graphite and lime blossoms. Long and expressive on the finish, crackling with a lingering fleur de sel note. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier.