Champagne "Haute Couture" with Krug President & CEO, Maggie Henriquez!

I recently had the distinct pleasure of attending a Champagne tasting with one of the most inspiring women in the wine world, Margareth "Maggie" Henriquez, President and CEO of one of the world's most revered Champagne Houses, Champagne Krug.

In addition to being the first non-French person to ever become President and CEO of a Champagne House, Venezuela-born Henriquez has held an array of influential positions during her 30 year career in wine and spirits. She also earned a Harvard degree in Advanced Management and, did I mention, she is also the epitome of style, incredibly charming and down to earth too? Yes, it's true!

The tasting was held at Cielo at the Boca Raton Resort & Club and the evening showcased three of the Krug cuvées; the Krug Grande Cuvée, Krug Vintage 1998 and the Krug Rosé. While sampling the divine lineup, guests enjoyed the gorgeous view of the sun setting over the Intracoastal Waterway and delicious hors d'oeuvres while the elegant and engaging Henriquez regaled us with stories of the legendary Champagne house's rich history and world renowned cuvées.

Delicious Hors d'Oeuvres

Krug is known for its unrelenting attention to detail in producing one of the finest Champagnes in the world. Henriquez likened the portfolio of cuvées to haute couture due to the meticulous attention to detail involved in their production, and rightly so: the Krug Grande Cuvée, the house's flagship multi-vintage bottling, is a blend of 120 hand-crafted reserve wines from over ten different vintages. The full-bodied Grande Cuvée delighted with enticing aromas of toasted brioche and marzipan, and complex flavors of citrus peel, hazelnuts and spice. Henriquez informed us the oldest vintage in the blend was 1988, meaning what was in our glass was over 20 years in the making. Take that, Karl Lagerfeld!

The View from Cielo!

Second was the Krug Vintage 1998, appointed by the house as an Hommage au Chardonnay due to the grape's predominance in the blend although all three Champagne varietals, including Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, are represented. As a vintage Champagne, all the grapes were harvested in the year marked on the bottle, 1998, a year characterized by the hottest August since 1962, followed by heavy rain in early September and dry, mild weather during the harvest. "Krug Vintage is not simply the selection of the best wines of a particular year, Krug 1998 is the way the House of Krug relates the story of that year." And what a story it was! This offering had divine notes of citrus, brioche, almond and a hint of gingerbread with a lovely precision and structure. It was incredibly elegant and refined.

Me & Maggie Henriquez

Our final Champagne of the evening was the Krug Rosé, a decadent expression of the three Champagne grape varieties crafted from a selection of several different vintages. Skin-fermented Pinot Noir is responsible for the enticing light salmon color and alluring spiciness of this sparkler. Heady aromatics and notes of wild strawberry, brioche and spice beckoned from the glass and this full-bodied brut rosé was delightfully rich and elegant. While sipping this sparkler, I couldn't help but wonder what delicious dish to pair it with - it was just begging for a roasted pork tenderloin or rack of lamb. I savored every drop while listening to Henriquez describe the fascinating details of Joseph Krug's journal written in 1848  that reveals his ultimate vision for the Champagne house. It was a great moment!

In addition to being one of the best Champagnes in the world, Krug is also one of the most expensive - the bottles sampled this evening ranged in price from $180-$320. If you feel like celebrating the holidays in style this year - I highly recommend it! A big thank you to Cary Roman of LIVINGFLA.com for the invitation to this fabulous evening - be sure to check out his website for even more delightful local events.

Cheers,