Average rating 4.9/5 stars across all Google and external reviews
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Bought directly from Moët Hennessy, the bottles are stored in bond at London City Bond Eton Park, in ideal conditions at a constant 13°C. For same-day deliveries, small quantities are kept in our office cellar, where the temperature is maintained between 11–13°C. We source all our bottles directly from the Maison or their official UK office, eliminating the risk of poor storage. This is crucial, as champagne quality is highly sensitive to heat: temperatures above 18°C accelerate maturity significantly, which compromises quality.
Joseph Krug founded the house in 1843 after learning winemaking at Champagne Jacquesson, driven to craft the finest champagne every year, regardless of climate. By honouring each vineyard's individuality and creating a vast reserve library, he achieved his dream & Krug Grande Cuvée 1st Edition was born.
In the 1970s, Henri and Rémi Krug modernized production, acquired Clos du Mesnil, 1st vintage 1979, launched Krug Rosé in 1983 and purchased Clos d'Ambonnay in 1991, first vintage 1995. LVMH acquired Krug in 1999; Henri and Rémi stepped down in 2007. Since 2009, Olivier Krug, the sixth generation, is Director of Krug.
In 2024, Krug completed Joseph, its new state-of-the-art sustainable winery in the village of Ambonnay, awarded exceptional HQE certification.
Krug Grande Cuvée is born from the dream of one man, Joseph Krug, to craft the very best Champagne he could offer, every single year, regardless of annual variations in climate. Since 1843, the House of Krug has honoured this vision with each new Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée. Unlike other Maison’s the wines needed for their NV are selected first, in the spring following the harvest. Then Krug considers the elements they want to keep from the last harvest for their reserves and finally they decide if they have the right components to make a vintage from that year. Often in great vintages like 2012 they decide they want more of the great wines in their reserve program rather than make a Krug 2012.
“Every year since the foundation of the House, a new Edition of Krug Grande Cuvée is created, every year the inspiration will be the same, but the creation will be totally unique and different.” Olivier Krug
This is the 159th creation of Krug Grande Cuvée. Based on 2003, it is a blend of 120 wines from ten vintages: the oldest being 1988 and the youngest 2003. Reserve wines in this Edition - particularly those from 1996 and other truly great white wines from more recent years - give spark and vitality to the final assemblage.
Krug ID: 211021 | Each bottle of Krug has a Krug ID on the back label which enables you to discover the story of that very bottle. You can do so using the smartphone App or on the Krug website.
Technical Information:
Vineyards: Predominately Premier & Grand Cru
Grape Varieties: 51% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 19% Meunier
Base Vintage: 2003
Reserve Wine: 37%
Lees Ageing: 6 years
Disgorged: February 2011
Dosage: 6 g/l
Alcohol: 12%
Drink: Now to 2034+
Tasting Note:Big powerful upfront nose with loads of cream and brioche. Hints of ginger spice. Soft mousse with bundles of citrus, lemon and tangerine notes. Ripe tropical pineapple and guava on the finish. Good balance acidity and lovely length. Bravo!
Just five years after Joseph Krug founded his eponymous Champagne House in 1843, he documented his great vision for Krug in a cherry-red leather notebook. In it, he revealed the principles of creating a champagne of incredible richness yet great elegance, of selecting only the finest elements from the greatest terroirs, rejecting mediocre fruit and making both a non-vintage and a vintage cuvée - revolutionary at the time. Discovered in 2010 by current House Director and sixth generation of the founding family Olivier Krug, the ideals in this notebook and Krug's resolute commitment to them have secured their position as the most luxurious and exclusive of all Champagne producers.
Unlike other Champagne Houses, Krug's range consists of prestige cuvées only. Their iconic non-vintage Grande Cuvée is a masterful blend of some 120 wines, vintage Krugs are renowned as true classics, majestically displaying the characteristics of each harvest and their unique and exclusive single-vineyard champagnes, Clos du Mesnil and Clos d'Ambonnay are the ultimate rarities. The recent introduction of ID codes displayed on the back of every bottle - revealing base year, disgorgement periods and product information - has helped revise the vision of Krug in line with the great founder's philosophy.
Cellar Master: Julie Cavil
Winery Location: Reims | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Montagne de Reims
Annual Production (bottles): 760,000
Chef de Cave History at Champagne Krug:
Julie Cavil - January 2020 to current
Julie Cavil is the current Cellar Master of Champagne Krug — and the first woman to hold that role. After starting her career in advertising, she retrained in oenology in Champagne and joined Krug in 2006, becoming Chef de Caves in 2020. Known for her humility, precision, and respect for Krug’s “one plot, one wine” philosophy, she oversees the blending of hundreds of base wines each year to recreate Krug’s signature style. Cavil balances tradition with innovation, focusing on sustainability and creative projects while preserving the founder’s vision of crafting the finest Champagne every year, regardless of vintage conditions.
Eric Lebel - 1999 - 2019
Eric Lebel joined Krug in 1999 as Chef de Cave. He was described as “Mozart of bubbly". Under his leadership the house expanded its reserve-wine library (for example, tripling from ~50-60 reserve wines in earlier years to 150+). He emphasised the preservation of individuality of plot, rigorous tasting, and refusing wines that did not meet house standards.
Dominique Petit - 1979 - 1999
Dominique Petit is a original Champenois. He was born in Verzy in 1954. Coming from a family of winegrowers, he studied at the Lycée Viticole d’Avize and the University of Reims, earning his oenology diploma at 23. Petit joined Champagne Krug in 1979, where he spent 20 years overseeing production under Henri and Rémy Krug. His tenure marked a bridge between Krug’s family-run era and its modernisation before LVMH ownership. In 1999, he became Chef de Cave at Pol Roger.
Expert Reviews
92/100
William Kelley
“Based on the 2003 vintage, Krug's NV Grande Cuvée 159ème Édition offers up generous aromas of toasted bread, yellow orchard fruit, mandarin oil, almond paste and candied citrus peel. Medium to full-bodied, rich and open-knit, it's elegantly fleshy, with ripe acids and a pretty pinpoint mousse, concluding with a sapid finish. Readers habituated to Krug's calling-card cut and intensity may find it a little soft and one-dimensional, but it's a creditable effort in a challenging year.”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“ID 215040. Made from the very small crop of 2003 back to 1988 from 120 wines. 51% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 19% Pinot Meunier. Pale, pungent and smoky. Great undertow, and proof that they did not get rid of their heavy wines in the Grande Cuvée. Drink 2014-2024”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“This is the 159th creation of Krug Grande Cuvée, code 211021, which is based on the 2003 vintage. The oldest wine is from 1988 and the youngest 2003 with 120 wines from 10 vintages. Reserve wines this year, particularly ones from 1996, as well as other truly great white wines from more recent years, give spark and vitality to this year's blend. Disgorged spring 2011. Dosage 6 g/l. 51% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 19% Pinot Meunier. Tasted blind. Stern and extremely intense, slightly floral, lightly spicy nose. Then it faded a little soon on the end. Just slightly less vital than the others. 2005 base?”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“ID 313054. Magnum. Disgorged summer 2013. 44% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 21% Pinot Meunier. Based on 2006 with reserves going back to 1990. 142 different wines! Mid straw. Intense nose demands attention. Savoury. Pretty explosive texture. Bone-dry finish. This is so different from – more complex than – most champagnes! A wine to contemplate that works towards the finish like a great burgundy, but it’s definitely not mouthwash for a big reception. Very long. 12%”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“ID 406001. The blend of 45% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier was based on 2000 but includes 118 wines from 10 different vintages, the oldest being 1990, the youngest 2000. Disgorged 2006. Fresh, floral tension. Focused thought reticent on the nose. Dense with lots to chew on. A little sweetness and lots of depth. Drink 2010-2020”
95/100
Michael Edwards
“Beguiling complex colour of twinkling green/gold lights. Inimitably Krug, masterly blending. The Chardonnay scents are at once refined yet dripping in the aroma of crunchy Williams pears. Discreet notes of vanilla, crème pâtissière, spiced lemon and brioche. Then a mouthfeel of body and heft; great Pinot Noir that is miraculously filigreed and ethereal, plus Pinot Meunier succulence. Like no other Champagne. ”
93/100
Stephen Tanzer
“Light yellow-gold. Highly aromatic bouquet of fresh tangerine, candied fig, pear skin and ginger, plus a smoky mineral overtone. Tangy, precise and concentrated, offering a complex blend of citrus and orchard fruit and floral flavors underscored by chalky minerality. Juicy, tightly focused, youthfully angular Champagne, with nervy acidity adding cut to the long, sappy finish. I can see why some long-time Krug fans might be perplexed by this bottling but I think that it will be a really outstanding bottle with another five-plus years of cellaring.”
Krug Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition is a blend of 146 wines from 11 different years, the youngest of which is from 2013, while the oldest dates back to 2000 and a stay of around seven years in Krug’s cellars gives this edition its distinct expression and elegance.
Champagne Krug have announced that Julie Cavil will take over as winemaking director in the new year. Incumbent winemaking director Eric Lebel will become deputy director of Krug and will lead projects involving all of the brands within the Moët Hennessy portfolio.
At our most recent tasting at 67 Pall Mall, guests blind tasted Krug Grande Cuvée Editions 162-166 NV (2006-2010), and Krug Vintages 2000-2004, including Krug 2000 from magnum. Find out which champagnes were the highest rated on the evening here.
Non-vintage champagnes are a blend of multiple vintages. However, with 60-90% of the blend coming from a single vintage, or base year, the final blend inevitably displays subtle characteristics of that vintage. Just how much influence does base year have on non-vintage?
Last week, we held the most comprehensive Krug Grande Cuvée vertical tasting to date. At 67 Pall Mall, guests blind tasted Grande Cuvée Editions 158-166 NV (2002-2010). We also tasted two Krug Vintages: 2002 and 2004.
Read Jancis Robinson’s report of our outstanding Krug vintage vertical tasting last November. "This would have been a dream tasting anyway, but I particularly love tasting a group of wines blind."
We visited Krug over August bank holiday weekend with Jancis Robinson MW. With an unexpected visit to Clos du Mesnil, a tour of the new Maison, a mini-vertical tasting and dinner at the house, it was well-worth the long drive!
In Dec 2016, we compared five Editions of Krug Grande Cuvée in their first ever blind tasting. Alongside Krug 2002 & 2003, their quality was undeniable, as was the interesting variation between them.
The 2016 Vins Clairs; reserve wines as old as 1998; winemaking with an iPad; Grande Cuvée 163rd Edition; Clos du Mesnil 2002; and revolutionising Champagne terminology. It's all happening at Krug!
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