Was given the wine blind at the same time as Olivier Krug and Eric Lebel and had no difficulty in finding out its identity by the aroma alone since the vintage character is so pronounced. Completely mature with a fairytale, great, rounded, vanilla-creamy butterscotch aroma. Deep and chocolaty with a little dried fruit and figs before it accelerates again on the tongue and then fades away with pleasing nuttiness.

The 1982 Brut Collection is breathtakingly beautiful. Smoke, pastry and caramel are some of the nuances that emerge from a sublime Champagne that recalls a fine, aged grand cru Burgundy in its complexity and level of depth. Very vinous, with a delicate, almost imperceptible mousse, the 1982 Collection is a graceful, layered wine of the highest level. This is pure magic in a glass. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2014. My tasting this year with Olivier Krug was fascinating as I had the rare opportunity to taste all of the house’s 1996’s side by side, a comparison that yielded very interesting results.