A Bubbly Tasting for ‘Krugists’

The Scene: A champagne tasting (and gourmet dinner to accompany it) Friday at Michael’s restaurant in Santa Monica. It was the beginning of a two-day experience of tasting 23 vintages of 1928 through 1982 Krug champagne. Guests sampled all of the French bubbly-makers’ output except the 1943 (only one bottle left), the 1975 (there’s no more) and what Remi Krug called “the lousy, dreadful, stupid 1972” (an early frost botched the grape crop).

Who Was There: More than 50 “Krugists”--aficionados from as far away as Japan and Belgium, who get no kick from any other champagne. Their host was Bipin Desai, a particle physicist and eminent local wine connoisseur. The guest of honor was Remi Krug, a fifth-generation member of the French Krug family. He described the Krugists as “people who have elected Krug as their champagne. There is an intensity to their relationship. It is a love story.”

When Good Champagne Happens to Bad People: The press materials contain a quote from an unidentified Krugist who says, “I drink Krug champagne when I know I deserve it and serve it to fiends (sic) when I hope they deserve it.”

Money Matters: Krug donated this rare lot of vintages to Manhattan’s City Meals on Wheels. Last September, the Krugists obtained it at a charity auction for $17,000.

Chow: Guests received a flight (three or four glasses of selected vintages) with each course. First with the sand dabs, then beside the Maryland Blue Crab salad and finally accompanying the quail. The food was excellent, but got about as much attention as the tablecloth. The champagne was the star.

Egregious Errors: Mentioning that you “picked up a bottle of this vintage yesterday at Trader Joe’s.” Chugging. Shaking the bottle. Adding ice cubes. Demanding a beer chaser. Using a straw. Comparing the taste to Gatorade. Confessing that you “can’t understand why people make such a fuss over grape juice.”

Wine Criticism an Amateur Could Understand: Daniel Oliveros said, “Tonight, the ’28 was kicking butt.”

Early Evening Dialogue: “The ’66 to me is very shy. It’s not developed.” “Will it come around?” “Doubtful.”

Late Evening Dialogue: A Krugist holding up a full glass: “So, should we whack this?”