I have returned from my ancestral chateau and we return to the fabulous world of /WORLD TOUR WINE/ !!

As those who PATTT know, I have been bitching relentless about the route of the Tour this year, really difficult to drum up a solid lineup of wines. I'm going to take some reasonable liberties to make sure that fans of /wtw/ get a steady supply of content (and I get a steady supply of good wine to drink).

The Grand Depart this year begins in Hauts-de-France and generally spends its time mucking around in flat farmland. Still, the racing has been reasonably good for such boring parcours. In the very southern corner of HdF, the Champagne wine region begins. We have enjoyed Champagne previously during Paris-Nice with a good bottle of Ruinart, but I will be exploring a little bit more during this first week. This weekend, in addition to celebrating the Fourth, we also had a family celebration for birth of my and Bertina's first child so I got some nice Champagne to celebrate.

Krug Grand Cuvee 172eme ($275)

Krug is one of the finest of the great Maisons of Champagne. Like most large producers, they have both non-vintage (NV) as well as vintage offerings, the NV offerings being a blend from many years. Krug is interesting in that every year they release a specific NV that they number, and they are up to I think their 173eme. Today's bottle is from the 172eme edition which is a blend of 44% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay, and 20% Pinot Meunier, blending wines from 2016 to 1998. I enjoyed the 171eme just recently so this was a nice countrast.

The color is a beautiful pale gold with amber flecks, really pretty with fine mousse. The nose is heaven -- rich, fresh Brioche with lemon, salinity, almond, and white flowers. The palate is sublime. Mouth-watering acidity, beautiful ripe lemon curd, bread, flowers. Long finish. It is dry.

I was hoping this would be a banger and it was. Unfortunately my wino aunt drank about 50% of the bottle in 10 minutes so I only got to enjoy one glass. In comparison to the Ruinart (which is zippier, crunchier, and fresher), this is deeper and more complex but still so elegant.