Krug, Grand Cuvée, Champagne, France, NV (750ml) (Edition 172)
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Overview of the Wine
Since 1843, six generations of the Krug Family have been creating the finest and rarest Champagnes. Behind every precious drop of Krug stands the dream of a visionary. One man who, long before others, understood that the essence of Champagne is pleasure. So, over 170 years ago, Joseph Krug broke with convention to follow his vision: to create the most generous expression of Champagne every year, regardless of climatic unpredictability. Thanks to an uncompromising craftsmanship, a unique individual plot by plot approach from harvesting to blending, an unparalleled library of 150 reserve wines, and an exceptional cellar aging, Krug is the benchmark when it comes to the best champagnes in the world.
Krug Grande Cuvée is the flagship of the House and the archetype of Krug’s philosophy of craftsmanship and savoir-faire: a blend of more than 120 wines from ten or more different years. Its exceptional finesse is the result of a stay of at least another six years in the cellars. Over twenty years are needed to craft each bottle of Krug Grande Cuvee.
Every year since the foundation of the House in 1843, one creation, one blend, one bottling and thus one new Edition of Krug Grande Cuvée has come to life. The number of the Edition is now featured on the front label, and this year we celebrate the 164th Edition.
Grape / Blend
44% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay and 20% Meunier
Origin
Champagne, France
Winemaker's Tasting Notes
A light golden colour and fine, vivacious bubbles, holding a promise of pleasure. Aromas of flowers in bloom, ripe, dried and citrus fruits, as well as marzipan and gingerbread. Flavours of hazelnut, nougat, barley sugar, jellied and citrus fruits, almonds, brioche and honey.
Krug Grande Cuvée lends itself to a wealth of culinary combinations, from the simplest to the most sophisticated, from an aged parmesan to turbot à la truffe. This Champagne can be enjoyed as an aperitif with Jabugo ham and mature comté or served to accompany oysters, grilled shrimps, Indian or Moroccan food, as well as desserts such as carrot cake, tarte Tatin and cheesecake.
The 172ème édition, based around the 2016 vintage, is a delicate, floral and saline Grande Cuvée at this early stage in its life. The palate it taut, tightly wound, gradually unfurling into toasted fruit bread, rye bread and roasted nuts, wrapped around an intricate and taut lemon core. It's exceptionally long, spicy, rounded and spherical in shape. Notes of sweet unsalted butter round out the finish, which has such length, elegance and balance. 58% of the wine is from the 2016 vintage, which saw a lot of rain in the spring and close to flowering, with 42% from reserve wines. The blend is made up of 146 separately vinified wines from 11 different years, and the oldest wine in the blend is from the 1998 vintage. (NE)
Jeb Dunnuck
The NV Champagne Grande Cuvée 172 was created around the 2016 harvest year, and they enriched it with 146 wines dating from 2016 back to 1998. It pours a medium straw/yellow hue and is very pretty on the nose, with floral aromas leading out of the gate, followed by notes of candied green apples, fresh linen, lime sorbet, redcurrants, delicate spice, and fresh almond. It’s rounded and medium-bodied on the palate, with a refined, delicately chalky texture, even, mouthwatering saline, fresh lift, and a long, fresh finish. As it opens, it starts to show its deeper profile in the blend, with notes of toast and crushed stones. It’s a lovely addition to the range that will have a wide drinking window and improve with time over the next 20 years. Give it 3-4 years in the cellar.
The NV Grande Cuvée 172ème Édition is a gracious, sublime Champagne. Light citrus notes, white flowers, spice, marzipan and chamomile inflections all run through this delicate, nuanced Grande Cuvée. The 172eme is a Champagne of understatement and class that is very much a reflection of the base year. Brisk acids pull it all together. The Grande Cuvée is often quite accessible on release, but this is an Edition I would cellar for at least another year or two. It’s a fine effort from Krug. The 172ème Édition is a blend of 44% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 20% Meunier based on 2016 with reserve wines back to 1998. Disgorged: Winter 2022-2023. (AG)
The new Krug release, the NV Grande Cuvée 172ème Édition, based on the 2016 vintage and comprising 11 vintages in total (the oldest is 1998), is outstanding. It reveals a complex, slightly spicy bouquet of white fruits, beeswax, marzipan, hazelnuts, dried herbs, ripe orchard fruits and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated on the palate, it has a subtly spicy entry, an enrobing and layered texture and a fleshy core of fruit framed around a perfectly balanced, fresh and mineral finish. Crafted primarily from Pinot Noir (44%) and complemented with 30% Chardonnay and the rest Pinot Meunier, it was disgorged in the first quarter of 2023 with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter. Keep it for 5-10 years.
Product size: 750ml
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