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Bought directly from Moët Hennessy, this is currently held in bond at London City Bond Eton Park, where it is cellared in ideal conditions and for same day deliveries small quantities are held in our London offices in a top of the range Eurocave
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Description & Technical Information
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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 168th creation of Krug Grande Cuvée and the fifth release to display the Edition on the label. The majority 52% is from its base year of 2012 and the remaining 48% is from 11 vintages of reserve wines the oldest being 1996 and the youngest 2012 some 198 wines make up the blend. Frost, rain, storms and hale all hit the vineyards of Champagne in winter and spring 2012, followed by the driest ripening season since 1974, resulting in 20% fewer grapes. To realise the final creation, wines of the year from meticulously selected plots were blended with reserve wines from 10 other years. The careful attention given to the vines and Krug’s unique respect for the individual character of each plot enabled the breadth of expression of this Édition. In all, reserve wines from the House’s extensive library made up 42% of the final blend, bringing the breadth and roundness so essential to each Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée.
Krug ID: 119010 | 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.
This 168th edition received a 19/20 from Jancis Robinson, notes below, her highest score ever for a Krug Grande Cuvee!
Technical Information:
Vineyards: Predominately Premier & Grand Cru
Grape Varieties: 52% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 13% Meunier
Base Vintage: 2012
Reserve Wine: 48%
Lees Ageing: 7 years
Disgorged: Winter 2019
Dosage: 6 g/l
Alcohol: 12%
Drink: Now to 2029
Tasting Note:A light golden colour and fine vivacious bubbles, holding a promise of pleasure. Aromas of flowers in bloom, ripe, dried and citrus fruits combine with marzipan and gingerbread. On the palate, hazelnut, barley sugar with more citrus, brioche and almonds. A slight honeyed finish, long and lingering.
Champagne Krug Overview
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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
“A blend of 52% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 13% Meunier, it took 198 different wines from 11 years to craft Joseph Krug’s dream wine, ‘the fullest expression of Champagne in one glass’. Chef de cave Julie remembers following the great 1996 Verzenay reserve wine in the tanks since the onset of her Krug career in 2006, and she says she felt emotional when the time came to include it in the 2012 blend as its oldest component among the 42% of reserve wines. She feels that some of the wine’s beeswax richness originates from that special wine. My first taste was from bottle with Krug ID 219012 (so disgorged in the spring of 2019). Refined yet expressive nose with richness of ripe stone fruits, candied lemon, baked apple and ginger reaching the nose first, followed by a gentle spiciness for fresh oak wood. Time in the glass brings forward layers of charismatic and complex brioche, yeast and honeycomb tones. On the palate it is even surprisingly tight and focused, with its brisk, saline acidity lining the fine, ripe and pure fruitiness. Less approachable upon launch than some editions, but it’s every drop just oozes ageing capacity. A keeper. ”
19/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“This is the latest cuvée launched in the UK in May 2020 but has already been available in the US and Japan. A blend of 198 wines from 11 different years, with the youngest the acclaimed 2012, back to a precious, powerfully aromatic lot of Verzenay Pinot Noir 1996. The final blend – 52% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 13% Meunier – was bottled in 2013 and aged for seven years in Krug’s cellars in Reims. Yields in 2012 were 20% lower than usual because of a succession of meteorological events including frost, rain, storms and hail in winter and spring 2012, followed by the driest ripening season since 1974.|
Notably intense aroma with crème pâtissière dominant. Masses of extract and remarkable acidity underpinned by great depth of flavour and beautiful balance on the finish. I think this is going to be a really great, glamorous Grande Cuvée that will continue to develop in bottle for many years to come. I suspect it will be even more enjoyable from the end of 2020. The length on the palate is remarkable. This is magnificently precise, a great tribute to the work of the old cellarmaster Eric Lebel, who is still in the background, and a wonderful welcome to his successor Julie Cavil, who has been learning from him since 2006.”
98/100
Peter Moser
“Light golden yellow, silver reflections; very fine, persistent mousse. Multi-faceted bouquet of yellow stone fruit, brioche, candied orange zest, blossom honey and almond cake, floral nuances in the background. Substantial on the palate, silky, pronounced in fruit texture, fine hazelnut nuances, light chocolate, finesse, rich acidity, very elegant and well-balanced; on the finish accents of oranges and nougat, mineral-salty touch on the back palate with echoes of fine honey. A versatile food wine with great development potential.”
96/100
William Kelley
“Krug's NV Grande Cuvée 168ème Édition is a classic in the making, wafting from the glass with aromas of dried fruits, pear, toasted nuts, orange zest, honeycomb and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, generous but incisive, it's deep and elegantly fleshy, with a beautifully refined mousse and an enveloping core of fruit that's complemented by the characteristic Krug patina of nutty complexity imparted by barrel fermentation. Even if this is more open out of the gates than the 2011-based 167ème edition, the 168ème edition is also the more concentrated and intense of the two. It's based on the 2012 harvest, complemented by fully 42% reserve wines—a blend of 198 wines from 11 different vintages dating back to 1996.”
96/100
Roger Voss
“In line with the producer's practice of numbering each bottling of its flagship Grande Cuvée, this is the latest release. Following the house style, there is some marvelously impressive Pinot Noir in this rich, full blend. That gives the Champagne its luxurious feel, contrasting with the tension from the dryness and minerality. This bottling, which shows maturity, is ready to drink.”
97/100
Jeb Dunnuck
“A beautiful Champagne, yet one that needs bottle age, the NV Grand Cuvee 168ème Edition comes mostly from the 2012 vintage (a good vintage) and has gorgeous apple blossom and stone fruits intermixed with classic Krug toasted brioche, toasted almond, white flowers, and honeysuckle aromatics. Just gorgeous on the palate as well, it's concentrated and has a rich, backward texture, bright acidity, and great finish. It takes lots of air to show at its best today, but do your best to hide bottles for 3-4 years. You'll be rewarded and it will evolve gracefully for another two decades or more.”
95/100
Alison Napjus
“A seamless Champagne, effortlessly integrating a powerful spine of racy acidity with the detailed range of crème de cassis, raw almond, toasted saffron and candied ginger flavors. This is fine and silky in texture, with a tang of salty mineral and rich hints of coffee, toasted brioche and mandarin orange peel expanding on the finish. Disgorged winter 2018. Drink now through 2030.”
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.
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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