Champagne, FranceThe 169th edition of the Grande Cuvée has been good to Krug after two challenging years. The 2013 harvest saw fabulous fruit from the old vineyards in Ambonnay and Ricey. Cellar Master Julie Cavil says, "the chardonnays of the year were magnificently fresh and pure, with great intensity and length, while the pinot noirs were powerful and long with discreet fruit, while the pinot meunier added structure, tension and vivacity." The latest KGC is a blend of a staggering 146 wines from 11 different years. The youngest is from 2013, and the oldest dates to 2000. The final cuvée is 43% pinot noir, 35% chardonnay and 22% meunier, aged 84 months in the Krug cellars. I am struck by the freshness of this wine and the youth of its alluring nose that tells a story of seven years on the lees. Rich, complex, and mysterious, the almonds and hazelnut mix effortlessly with the dried apricot, toast, and lemon pith. Intense, austere, dry and unforgettable. Let the journey begin.Tasted: 06 December 2022Tasted by: Prices:
Champagne, FranceKrug Champagne is many things, but since 1843 the Grande Cuvée has been the storyteller for this remarkable champagne house. According to its ID number, this bottle spent about seven years in Krug's cellars, finally going under cork in 2017. The 166ème Édition is a blend of 140 wines from 13 different years including 2010, the base year, and back to 1996. Reserve wines make up 42% of the final mix of 45% pinot noir, 39% chardonnay and 16% pinot meunier. Its deep golden colour and incredible small persistent bubbles preview rich aromas of citrus, flowers, dried fruits, and marzipan, and it is only the start. The palate is equally intense with hints of hazelnuts, almond brioche, citrus fruits, spice, nougat, sugarcoated jelly candy, brioche, and honey. You can serve this with anything, but If you want to stun your guests, serve it alongside chunks of old Reggiano Parmigiano.Tasted: 05 November 2019Tasted by: Prices:
Champagne, FranceBased on the 2007 vintage, this 2014 disgorgement is a selected uvée of 12 vintages across 182 crus. Rich and full, as is the classic house style. A densely centered and expansive core of brioche, baked pear, roasted hazelnuts, dried apricots and toast could be overwhelming, save for the vibrant and tight lift of lemon pith acidity, which reins in the generosity of the palate. Drinking well now, but the reward comes when this powerhouse has time to settle into its form in the bottle. Always more intense and concentrated than almost any other champagne but also austere and drier. More like a table wine with its intensity yet impeccable balance and acidity. Top flight bubble that ages effortlessly for decades.Tasted: 06 December 2016Tasted by: Prices:
Champagne, France"Cuvée Number One" is how the Krug family refers to its Grande Cuvée Brut and for good reason. A mix of some 130 individual sites and wide use of reserve wines make their way into this complicated, sophisticated, crazy delicious blend. There can be as many as twenty harvests in any one bottle only adding to its mystery. The nose is rich offering dried fruits marzipan, lemon brioche with an under dose of earthy cedar. How a wine can be so elegant and so powerful is a mystery that makes Krug worth every penny. Six years in the cellar are only the beginning for a wine that can sleep decades in yours.Tasted: 20 December 2013Tasted by: Prices:
Champagne, FranceGrand Cuvée is the signature Krug. So intense, so electric, so dry and fresh. Is this really made with grapes? A high proportion of reserve wine from ten or more vintages lend it a nutty, mature flavour flecked with citrus, honey, quince, lemon and mineral flavours. Long, persistent, incredibly nuanced it has no peer among multi-vintage blends.Tasted: 21 May 2012Tasted by: Prices:
Champagne, FranceThe latest cuvee is marvellous. So fresh and so intense; so impressive on entry. Crisp elegant and dry but structured with high acidity and fine, creamy mousse. A high proportion of reserve wine gives it a nutty, toasty flavour flecked with citrus, honey, quince, lemon and earthy, mineral notes and a persistent dry, rich finish. More intense and concentrated than almost any other champagne but also austere and drier. Ready to drink now but will hold for many years. More like a table wine with its intensity yet impeccable balance and acidity. Top flight bubble that ages effortlessly for decades.Tasted: 22 November 2009Tasted by: Prices:
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