KRUG CLOS D’AMBONNAY 2000

Style Summary

One of the rarest and most extraordinary Champagnes produced by Krug.

Krug Clos d’Ambonnay 2000 is a single-vineyard, single-grape and single-vintage Champagne produced entirely from Pinot Noir grown within a tiny 0.68-hectare walled vineyard in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay.

Only 5,158 individually numbered bottles were produced.

Powerful yet remarkably precise, the 2000 combines mature Pinot Noir richness with Krug's characteristic freshness. Brioche, caramel, baked apple, pastry, spice and citrus unfold across a broad, vinous palate, finishing with exceptional persistence.

A Champagne of extraordinary rarity, provenance and individuality.

Region / Grape / Style

Region: Champagne, France
Village: Ambonnay
Vineyard: Clos d’Ambonnay
Vintage: 2000
Producer: Krug
Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
Classification: Grand Cru Village
Vineyard Size: 0.68 Hectares / 1.68 Acres
Harvest Date: 29 September 2000
Production: Only 5,158 Individually Numbered Bottles
Style: Vintage Blanc de Noirs Champagne

The Clos d’Ambonnay

At just 0.68 hectares, Clos d’Ambonnay is one of Champagne's smallest and most celebrated individual vineyards.

The vineyard lies in the heart of Ambonnay, one of Champagne's historic Grand Cru villages and one of Krug's most important sources of Pinot Noir.

Its vines are enclosed by walls that have protected the vineyard since 1766.

Krug discovered the clos in 1991 after a seven-year search by Rémi and Henri Krug for a vineyard capable of expressing Ambonnay Pinot Noir as a wine in its own right.

The House purchased the vineyard in 1994.

The first Krug Clos d’Ambonnay was produced from the 1995 vintage, although its existence remained secret until Krug finally revealed the wine in 2007.

Clos d’Ambonnay therefore represents something highly unusual within Krug.

Where Krug Grande Cuvée celebrates the art of blending many vineyards, grape varieties and years, Clos d’Ambonnay does almost precisely the opposite.

One vineyard.
One grape.
One vintage.

The 2000 Vintage

The growing season of 2000 was complicated.

The year was warm but also rainy and stormy, including difficult conditions during July.

August brought warmer weather, however, and September provided the conditions necessary for the Pinot Noir to complete its ripening.

The entire Clos d’Ambonnay vineyard was harvested on a single day:

29 September 2000.

Krug considered the resulting Pinot Noir exceptionally generous and intense while maintaining the balance required to produce Clos d’Ambonnay.

The wine subsequently spent more than a decade developing in Krug's cellars before release.

Extraordinary Rarity

Krug produced just:

5,158 bottles

of Clos d’Ambonnay 2000.

Every bottle was individually numbered.

To put the scale into perspective, the entire production of this Champagne represents only a tiny fraction of what even many prestigious single-vineyard wines produce.

The 2000 was also only the fourth vintage of Clos d’Ambonnay ever created, following:

1995 · 1996 · 1998 · 2000

Its combination of tiny production, single-vineyard provenance and Krug's exceptionally selective approach to declaring the wine makes Clos d’Ambonnay one of the most collectible Champagnes in the world.

Tasting Profile

Appearance:
Luminous straw-gold, with exceptionally fine and persistent bubbles.

Nose:
Brioche, caramel and warm spice lead initially, followed by baked apple, pastry, toasted nuts and subtle citrus.

Palate:
Broad, vinous and remarkably concentrated. Tarte Tatin, caramel and pastry cream are balanced by persistent acidity and an underlying freshness that prevents the richness from becoming heavy.

Structure:
Full and powerful by Champagne standards, yet remarkably precise. The Pinot Noir provides considerable depth and vinosity while the acidity maintains definition.

Finish:
Exceptionally long, with pastry, caramel, spice and a distinctly fresh lemon-citrus note lingering after the richer flavours have faded.

Summary

Krug Clos d’Ambonnay 2000 is Champagne reduced to its most precise expression of place.

Rather than blending multiple vineyards and vintages, Krug isolates one tiny walled vineyard in Ambonnay and produces the wine entirely from its Pinot Noir.

The 2000 is particularly compelling.

Despite a complicated growing season, the Pinot Noir harvested on 29 September achieved remarkable richness and balance.

After more than a decade in Krug's cellars, the resulting Champagne combines considerable Pinot Noir concentration with remarkable freshness.

Brioche, caramel, baked apple, pastry cream and spice give the wine richness, while a persistent citrus character maintains precision through an exceptionally long finish.

Only 5,158 individually numbered bottles were produced.

For a collector, it represents not simply prestige Champagne, but one of the rarest expressions of a single vineyard produced by any major Champagne house.

Drinking Window

Drink: Now–2040+
Preferred Window: Now–2035

At 26 years from harvest, Clos d’Ambonnay 2000 is firmly within a fascinating stage of its evolution.

There is no reason to wait before opening a well-stored bottle.

The wine already possesses substantial mature complexity, with brioche, caramel, pastry, baked apple, toasted nuts and spice complementing the remaining freshness of the Pinot Noir.

At the same time, Krug Clos d’Ambonnay is built for longevity.

Its concentration, acidity and extraordinary period of cellar maturation mean that impeccably stored bottles should continue evolving for many years.

Further ageing should move the wine toward increasingly complex notes of dried citrus, roasted nuts, coffee, toast, honey, dried fruit and deeper savoury spice.

Because bottles of this rarity can have very different storage histories, provenance and condition are now more important than the theoretical drinking window.

Serving Temperature: 11–12°C

Do not serve this Champagne excessively cold.

Use a large Champagne or white Burgundy glass, never a narrow flute.

I would open the bottle approximately 20–30 minutes before serving and allow it to develop naturally in the glass rather than decanting it.

This is a Champagne worth following over several hours.

Food Pairing

Clos d’Ambonnay possesses enough Pinot Noir structure to move well beyond conventional Champagne pairings.

Recommended Pairings:
Imperial Gold Osetra Caviar · Langoustines · Lobster · Turbot · Roast Duck · Duck Breast · Quail · Pigeon · Veal · Lamb · Rib of Beef · Morels · Porcini · White Truffle · Roasted Chestnuts · Aged Comté

Krug itself suggests richer combinations, including spiced lamb and dishes incorporating sweet-and-savoury elements and candied citrus.

The Tasting Room Recommendation

For a bottle this rare, I would keep the food relatively restrained.

My preference would be to begin with Imperial Gold Osetra Caviar, allowing the wine to reveal its freshness and mineral character.

Then move toward roast duck, quail or veal with morels as the Champagne warms slightly and its Pinot Noir character becomes increasingly apparent.

Serve around 11–12°C in a large Burgundy-style glass.

Most importantly, do not rush it.

Clos d’Ambonnay 2000 should be treated much more like a great mature Burgundy than a conventional Champagne. Allow the bottle to evolve through dinner and observe how it moves from citrus and freshness toward brioche, caramel, pastry, nuts and spice.

Collector’s Note

Clos d’Ambonnay 2000 is exceptionally rare even by prestige-Champagne standards.

It was only the fourth vintage Krug produced from this vineyard, and total production amounted to just 5,158 individually numbered bottles.

The combination of:

Krug · Clos d’Ambonnay · 0.68 hectares · 100% Pinot Noir · Single Vintage · 5,158 bottles

places the 2000 firmly within the realm of serious Champagne collecting.

For the ODD BINS & SOMMELIER’S RARITIES collection, this is exactly the kind of bottle that deserves to be highlighted not simply as Champagne, but as a genuine vinous rarity.