Henri Krug [1937-2013]

Henri Krug, former director and chef de caves of Krug Champagne has died March 7 at the age of 75.

“Henri Krug’s passing is the disappearance of one of Champagne’s great personalities,” said Daniel Lorson, former communications director of the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC). “He knew how to talk about wines like none other. He had an exceptional talent for explaining the art of blending, and knew in simple terms how to define the Krug style.”

Henri was the fifth generation overseeing Krug’s production and management, along with his younger brother Rémi. The house was founded in 1843 by Johann-Joseph Krug. Though Remy Cointreau purchased Krug in 1969 and luxury goods giant LVMH took charge in 1999, the Krug family always remained deeply involved, working with a notable degree of independence.

Henri’s time at Krug began in 1962, at the age of 25. Following family tradition and in order to preserve the house’s distinctive style, he worked closely with his father, Paul Krug II, as well as his retired grandfather Joseph Krug II. In 1965, Rémi joined the firm, and their responsibilities were quickly and easily divided: Henri managed the vineyards and winemaking, while Rémi largely handled communications and business.
“We always said we were two sides of the same fruit,” Rémi told a French newspaper after his brother passed away. “He was calm, reserved, unassuming, modest and always ready to listen to other people.”

Though they worked side by side for many years with their father, Henri’s and Rémi partnership shaped the modern lineup of Krug Champagne. To begin with, they reintroduced the house’s prestige bottling in 1979 as the Grande Cuvée, packaging the wine in the distinctive, fluted bottle that is a hallmark of Krug Champagne today. Henri also formalized the tasting panel that works for months each year creating and blending the wine, as well as strengthening the house’s relationships with top growers in the region and their supply of high-quality grapes.

In 1971 Krug purchased approximately 15 acres of land in the village of Le Mesnil sur Oger, including the enclosed, 4.5-acre Clos du Mesnil vineyard. With an exceptional harvest in 1979 and the quality of the Chardonnay of this vineyard, the brothers eschewed Champagne’s tradition of blending multiple grape varieties and produced the 1979 Brut Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil (98 points non-blind, $3,350 at auction), made from one grape, from one plot and one outstanding year. The wine has been an icon of Champagne ever since.

At roughly the same time, Rémi recognized growing market demand for rosé Champagne. Though their father was against the idea, the brothers felt strongly enough about its potential to secretly produce a rosé in 1976. After aging was complete in 1983, they served the wine blind to their father. Paul was sufficiently impressed that a rosé could adhere to the house style, and so a Brut Rosé NV was created.

The latest addition to Krug’s bottlings, the vintage Brut Blanc de Noirs Clos d’Ambonnay, owes inspiration to Henri as well. Henri’s son Olivier began working with the house in 1979, and following Clos du Mesnil’s success, Henri planted an idea in his son’s head, saying, “Maybe your responsibility is to find a Pinot Noir vineyard to be a little brother to Clos du Mesnil.” Krug purchased the 1.7-acre Clos d’Ambonnay vineyard in 1994, releasing the 1995 vintage (95 points) in 2009, for $3,500/bottle.

“He was a perfectionist who has been able to convey his passion and demand for precision to Olivier,” said Lorson.

Henri officially retired in 2002, but remained active with the house’s day-to-day work until 2007. Henri left the reins of Krug in the hands of Olivier, director of the house since 2009, and Eric Lebel, chef de caves since 1998.

Henri is survived by his brother Rémi, his wife, Odile, their five children and several grandchildren.

Krug Champagne Takes Marketing To New Heights: Krug Institute of Happiness

Krug has gone a few steps this December with an innovative new marketing campaign. The Champagne producer has announced the launch of the Krug Institute of Happiness, which will be running for one week during the month of December. The ‘Institute’ has found its home in a previously undiscovered London location and its guests will be honored with a ‘pleasure seeking menu’ paired with and inspired by Krug Champagne. The menu has been created by one of London’s top Michelin star chefs, Nuno Mendes.

The aim behind the lavish campaign is to encourage consumers to think of happiness, celebration and luxury when they think of Krug Champagne. The experience not only includes a fabulous dinner, but also whisks guests through a lit up London, making the whole affair seems like something out of a Richard Curtis film (think Love Actually and Notting Hill).

Krug says, “The Institute of Happiness sets the stage for creating happiness and discovering the craftsmanship and passion behind Krug Champagne. Beginning the experience, guests are whisked through the city in a private transfer to the previously undiscovered location of 85 Swains Lane.

“Arriving at the Institute of Happiness, guests enter a once in a lifetime opportunity to immerse themselves in all things pleasurable. Krug’s Institute of Happiness seeks to touch every guest with an emotive memory through a once in a lifetime dining experience, set to create happiness in each guest.

“Every element of the Institute of Happiness is a bespoke experience, from guests place settings to the music heard throughout the evening. The completely unique and bespoke adventure into the world of Krug is facilitated by touching the senses of sight, sound, scent and of course taste, as every element of the experience is designed to create happiness in all guests. The four-course menu is designed by the Michelin-star chef, who has built each course around a different endorphin-releasing ingredient, as the final flourish to all the dream-like elements.”

Yes, a wonderful experience, but there is more to the marketing campaign masterfully created by Krug than creating a fabulous evening for its handful of guests. It has captured everything that is wonderful about Christmas in London. The cold nights, warm houses, celebrating with friends, lavish meals and luxury, not to mention sipping Krug.

The event has been running this week, so there may be only a small handful of exclusive tickets left… a perfect impromptu experience in one of the world’s most fabulous capital cities www.kruginstituteofhappiness.com.

Sotheby’s Offering Exclusive Krug Champagne Tastings in France

Sotheby’s has upped the ante for its December 1, 2012 sale of the largest collection of Krug champagne ever, taking place in New York. In addition to the unprecedented offering of precious bottles sourced directly from the cellars of Maison Krug in Reims, Sotheby’s is now offering two exclusive excursions to the house itself, one of which includes a private tasting of historic Krug vintages. The premier package begins with a limousine ride from Paris to Maison Krug in Reims. A tour of the Maison is followed by a fabulous lunch at L’Assiette Champenoise, the luxurious hotel that features a Michelin 2-star restaurant.

Then comes the true pièce de résistance: a tasting to be conducted with either Eric Lebel, Krug’s Chef de Caves, or family scion Olivier Krug himself, of historic and extremely rare Krug vintages. The tasting will include one vintage each from the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s, as well as a “Point To Universe” tasting of the famed Krug Clos du Mesnil 2000, Krug Vintage 2000, and Krug Grande Cuvee, including a suite at L’Assiette Champenoise and a limousine ride back to Paris in the morning. Bidding for the once-in-a-lifetime experience is expected to begin at $5,000.

The other champagne-soaked travel experience includes lunch in the Krug Clos du Mesnil vineyard along with a Krug Clos du Mesnil tasting, and a tour of the Krug Clos du Mesnil and Krug Clos d’Ambonnay vineyards after lunch along with a visit to Maison Krug with the winemaker or Olivier Krug himself. The excursion wraps up with dinner alongside Krug winemakers at L’Assiette Champenoise and a suite for the night. To give you an idea of the scope of the offering, a single case of Krug Clos de Menil is expected to fetch up to $30,000 in the landmark sale. The bidding on the second trip will also begin at $5,000 and only one of each excursion will be offered.

The sale spans 40 years of Krug production, with 530 bottles, magnums and jeroboams coming direct from the cellars of Maison Krug in Reims. Highly prized vintages from 1961, 1973 and 1982 are included among the lots, as well as five Grand Cuvees never previously released by Krug: Finesse, Richesse, Savoir-Faire, Fraicheaur and Memoires.

See Sothebys.com for bidding details.

Krug FLÂNERIE – A Call to Adventure

Carefully woven in a hand-crafted style, this original and unique knapsack has been conceived as a call to adventure.

An understated, nomad-inspired casket invites each Krug Lover to imagine the most extravagant and exhilarating occasion for sharing a glass of Krug Grande Cuvée… with no compromise on pleasure as it keeps the bottle at the ideal temperature of 10°C.

Flânerie is just the first instalment of a whole new series of delightfully unconventional rituals of tasting and sharing.

Flânerie, Krug will delight all those free spirits for whom the partaking of a truly magnificent champagne is above all a moment for sharing and for celebrating life!

Liz Palmer
@champagnehouses

Spectrum Wine’s Second Anniversary Auction Includes Krug and Cristal Champagne Brunch

Spectrum Wine Auctions’ Second Anniversary Auction will take place December 3rd & 4th at 11:00 a.m. at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Hotel.

All registered bidders are invited to celebrate the auction with a Champagne brunch featuring pours of Krug and Cristal, which starts promptly at 11:00 a.m. The two-day event features a total of 1,631 lots of rare and collectible wines, and carries a pre-sale estimate of HK $50.4 million.

Highlights include more than 600 lots of top-shelf Burgundy including nearly 175 lots of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, as well as H. Jayer Richebourg, Domaine Méo-Camuzet, Domaine Leroy. The sale also offers several cases of First Growth Bordeaux in OWC.

Bids may be placed live in the auction room, online, by phone, in advance via fax or through Spectrum Wine’s new iPhone/iPad bidding app. Interested buyers may preview 360-degree photographs of bottles from each lot prior to the sale, and may request a complimentary catalog at spectrumwine.com.

Liz Palmer
@champagnehouses