Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 173eme On Sale: $295 This past March we were treated to one spectacular lunch at The Rosewood here in Santa Barbara with Olivier Krug. Among the line-up of Champagnes was the (then) upcoming 173ed Grand Cuvee which promised to be available this Summer. Well, the 173ed Grand Cuvee has now arrived at Renegade and we couldn't be more thrilled. Here are a few notes on the mind-boggling wine: Composed around the harvest of 2017, Krug Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition is a blend of 150 wines (not a typo) from 13 different years (again, not a typo). The youngest is from the year 2017 and the oldest dates back to 2001. In all, reserve wines from Krug’s extensive library make up 31% of the final blend, bringing the breadth and roundness so essential to each Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée. The final composition of this Champagne is 44% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay and 22% Meunier. In all, over 20 years of careful craftsmanship were necessary to create Krug Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition. Dosage is 4G/L Out tasting notes from the luncheon: At first sight, intense yellow gold. Expressive, fragrant and powerful on the nose with aromas of toast and brioche, stone fruit, verbena, and exotic citrus.  On the palate, this champagne is unctuous, creamy and generous, expressing nuances of juicy orchard fruit + peach, ripe citrus then toasty notes (subtle). At this stage the Champagne is precise, crisp, mouthwatering.. another sip please! Wow were we impressed! Perhaps the best 'young' Krug Grande Cuvee we've tasted. Finally, as many of you know, there's a code on the back label -6 numbers- that when entered on the Krug website or app will reveal a palthera of information about what's in the bottle. Cheers!

2022 Château Le Puy Cuvée Emilien (France, Bordeaux) $65 Domaine La Puy makes a triumphant return to Renegade after a two years absence with their dynamite 2022 vintage. The 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Carmenère blend is a knock-out. This is a wine of harmony weaving together acid, fruit, tannin, mineral and earth with a spellbinding result. There's remarkable energy here and a nicely savory finish. As a reminder this estate has a 400 year old history, natural and organic since 1610, and was the first biodynamic winery in Bordeaux (1963).

2023 Domaine La Manarine Côtes du Rhône (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône) $20 You do not often find a 100% Grenache from the Cotes du Rhone, but here we are, Grenache in its purist form; destemmed, unfiltered, organic. There's class here in this fuller bodied red; silky texture, peppery spice, lively acidity, lush red and dark fruit; a wine perfect with grilled meats, ratatouille, or even just a relaxed evening on the patio.

2024 Danilo Thomain Petit Rouge (Italy, Valle d'Aosta, Enfer d'Arvier) $45 By all accounts, this wine shouldn't be here — not in the States, maybe not even in Aosta. Danilo Thomain farms just 2.5 acres of brutally steep terraces inside the Enfer d'Arvier amphitheater, a sun-blasted bowl of vines (the name means "Hell of Arvier") perched above the Dora Baltea river at roughly 2,200-2,600 feet. He's effectively the lone independent voice in this tiny Alpine DOC. Petit Rouge leads the blend, rounded out with a touch of Pinot Noir, a splash of Gamay, and Gamaret, all hand-carried down the hill, spontaneously fermented and aged in his basement two stories underground. The result is an Alpine red that's deep but weightless, threaded with black raspberry, plum, wild herbs, and crushed mountain stone — exactly the kind of wine that explains why people fall hard for the Valle d'Aosta. Production is tiny.

Let's Head Back to Champagne

(France, Champagne Grand Cru)
$80

New Champagne Alert:

This is classic Côte des Blancs with a Cramant accent: softer, rounder fruit than, say, Le Mesnil, but with real “electricity” and chalky backbone.

There's citrus blossom, green and yellow apple, grapefruit, white flowers, with nuances of brioche/baked goods (subtle though) on the nose.

Tasting this Champagne one first encounters zippy acid and crunchy citrus notes followed by a plethora of stone fruit, saline minerality, more -now almost exotic- citrus, and a finish full of vivacity. A serious Champagne, almost austere at first, but opens up lovingly in the glass.

Boy do we loving finding new Champagnes!