The 1985 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil Bottle # 11897 has 12% alcohol, cost, back then, $99, and scored 19 points on the 20-point Dionysian scale.

I love old British-taste flavors in sparkling wines. Some people don’t or never had the chance to acquire the taste. I learned it from Dionysian Archie Mazzoli who wanted caramel notes over the toasty French bread aromas. This Krug had it all. The bubbles were still strong. The color was gold. The grapes from the Mesnil vineyard produce the very best quality in Champagne. They note it was the Vendange les 3 et 4 Octobre 1985. Very specific.

We used it to toast the setting sun over my Stonehenge Garden, then as a food wine with quail legs and rabbit. Great wines need simple foods.

I can no longer afford Krug Champagnes that start at over $300 a bottle. They do some barrel aging prior to the second fermentation, and it shows when it gets older making the Chardonnay richer. The wine had everything! I drink a lot of sparkling wine, so price and common sense need to always be considered. (My last bottle) In Vino Veritas.