Krug x Carrot: A Great Pairing!
Cinnamon and I wait impatiently every year for Krug to drop their ingredient—a program that has now been going on for 10 years now. While this is meant as a challenge to the Michelin-starred chefs and their sommeliers in the world of haute cuisine, we love to take it up as home cooks and inject a little simplicity into the mix. When we found out that this year it was carrot, we were fired up to try again. You can check out some of the past pairings that we have done here.
My wife is a far more creative cook than I am, and she took inspiration from a post by Ina Garten, baking a carrot tart. The preparation was simple, Dufour’s puff pastry, Boursin herb cheese spread, and thinly sliced, multicolored carrots quickly marinated in salt, pepper and olive oil. After 25 minutes baked in a 400-degree oven, we had a wonderful pairing for a superlative wine.
We chilled a bottle of the Krug "Grande Cuvée" 172ème Édition Brut Champagne $259.99 97DC 97JS 95VN to accompany the tarte and celebrate the single ingredient with my dad, who was in town for the weekend. The bottle we opened was Krug iD 323037, and, thanks to their great website and industry-leading traceability on every bottle, we have tons of facts on the wine. Composed of 44% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay and 20% Meunier, our bottle spanned 11 vintages, going all the way back to 1998 and having nothing more recent that 2016. Our bottle was disgorged in summer of 2023 after 8 years in the cellar at Krug, and six years on the lees.
This is a prestige cuvée that never disappoints, and, for me, a strong argument can be made that it is not just one of the great Champagnes, but one of the great wines of the world. With a white gold color and an incredible bouquet of fine brioche and Puligny-Montrachet Le Cailleret lime, it had me charmed just from smelling it. In the mouth it had the perfect texture; silky, fine beaded—it was a testament to the patience of the Krug team. The flavors were kaleidoscopic, with more brioche, fresh sea air, savory white truffle, bright Eureka lemons and of course, fantastic chalk. The explosive finish lasted so long that I can still almost taste it now—even though it is three days later!
The bright citric component cut the fat of the pastry and the Boursin, while the sweetness of the roasted carrot brought out the umami of the Krug. This was a memorable pairing, and a simple one for the home cook. This is a Champagne that always shows well on its own but truly comes alive with food. I hope you’ll take some inspiration to try these together, or perhaps to come up with your own carrot creation!
A toast to you!
- Gary Westby, K&L Champagne Buyer