NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvee Edition 169eme #163003275
Reviews 96 points Wine Advocate "Based on the 2013 vintage and complemented by some 40% reserve wines dating back to 2000, Krug's newly released NV Grande Cuvee 169eme Edition is showing very nicely, unfurling in the glass with notes of citrus oil, buttered toast, dried apricot, warm biscuits and marmalade. Medium to full-bodied, deep and incisive, it's a tauter, more chiseled rendition of Grande Cuvee by comparison with the richer, more textural and more demonstrative 168eme Edition (based on the 2012 vintage) that preceded it; but its bright spine of acidity is nicely cloaked in fruit. Concluding with a long and sapid finish, this is a very classically balanced Champagne that will reward bottle age. (WK)" 95 points John Gilman "The new release of Krug Grande Cuvee, the 169eme Edition, is from the base year of 2013, but includes fully forty percent of reserve wines all the way back to the harvest of 2000. The cepages for this new iteration of Grande Cuvee is forty-three percent pinot noir, thirty-five percent chardonnay and twenty-two percent pinot meunier. The wine is beautifully expressive on the nose, wafting from the glass in a complex blend of pear, apple, a touch of passion fruit, chalky soil tones, brioche, incipient notes of caraway seed, just a whisper of buttery oak and lovely floral tones in the upper register from the pinot meunier component in the cepages. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and racy, with a great core, zesty acids, elegant mousse and a very long, very pure and perfectly balanced finish. This is really a stunning new version of Grande Cuvee. It is approachable already, but I would be inclined to give it just a few more years in the cellar and let its girdle of acidity relax a bit more, so that the wine can deepen and broaden in its palate impression. Fine, fine juice. (JG)"
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About Krug
Few champagne growers enjoy the worldwide reputation for quality as Krug—a regional stalwart based out of Reims since 1842. Despite Krug’s sale to Moët Hennessey in 1999, sixth generation grower Olivier Krug runs the estate, keeping very much in the family tradition. This celebrated champagne house boasts 20 hectares of premium vineyards planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, while also sourcing from trusted growers. In recent years, Krug has converted their holdings to mostly organic viticulture but resists certification for pragmatic reasons.
Krug remains one of the only champagne houses to exclusively produce premium wines, with Clos du Mesnil and Clos d’Ambonnay among their finest parcels. “Grande Cuvée,” a blend of all three regional varietals, comprises the dominant part of production, made from 120 base wines, representing 10 vintages as old as 15 years each. The cellar team, led by Éric Lebel, embraces neutral 205-L oak barrel vinifications by individual parcel (there are 250!), eschews malolactic fermentation to preserve mineral intensity, and embraces long cellar aging from five to 10 years before release. With standards such as these, it stands to reason that Krug creates some of the world’s most memorable champagnes.