Average rating 4.9/5 stars across all Google and external reviews
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Bottles Available:
1 × 1.5L today - 16 from 13th Oct We keep some stock in our London Warehouse. Large volumes take 24 hours from our out of London warehouse.
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 169th creation of Krug Grande Cuvée and the sixth release to display the Edition on the label. It was composed around the harvest of 2013. A blend of 146 wines from 11 different years, the youngest of which is from 2013, while the oldest dates back to 2000. The final composition is 43% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, and 22% Meunier. The season began with a seemingly endless winter followed by a rainy and cool spring. Luckily, summer was hot and sunny, although also marked by hailstorms, which took their toll in the vineyards. The wines of the year were generous, expressive and full of flavours. 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 40% of the final blend, bringing the breadth and roundness so essential to each Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée.
Krug ID: 120001 | 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: 43% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 22% Meunier
Base Vintage: 2013
Reserve Wine: 40%
Lees Ageing: 6 years
Disgorged: January 2020
Dosage: 6 g/l
Alcohol: 12%
Drink: Now to 2050+
Tasting Note:Sleek and fresh and truly spring-like with a light yeasty note on the very long finish. The most pleasure to be had initially is in the nose and the finish... This should have a long life. Bone-dry finish and playing the intellectual card. Throbs on the palate with all its vibrancy. Tasting note part of Jancis Robinson's full tasting note below
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
96/100
Anne Krebiehl MW
“Candied lemon on the nose comes with a spicy, lovely overtone of oak moss, ozone and lifted lemon brightness. The palate comes in with briskness, with a kind of slenderness that seems to open up into depth rather then breadth. There is an incisive, beautiful vein of vivid citric freshness, a well of brightness, but also with a real sense of pithiness. Absolutely streamlined, taut, vivid with a real sense of cool, profound chalkiness and that enduring lemon zest and savoury nori seaweed note. Beautiful and very long.”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“Deep copper gold. Tiny, tiny bead. Much more obvious acidity, age and (lightly oaky?) savour on the nose than Cristal 2013. Aérien with blossomy notes with a little mandarin. Very marked acidity on the palate. A real wake-up call! Sleek and fresh and truly spring-like with a light yeasty note on the very long finish. The most pleasure to be had initially is in the nose and the finish. The palate is still a bit of shock. This should have a long life. Bone-dry finish and playing the intellectual card. Throbs on the palate with all its vibrancy. Long. Tighter than the 168ème Édition. Structure dominates fruit.”
96+/100
William Kelley
“Based on the 2013 vintage and complemented by some 40% reserve wines dating back to 2000, Krug's newly released NV Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition 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 Cuvée by comparison with the richer, more textural and more demonstrative 168ème Édition (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”
94/100
Antonio Galloni
“Krug's NV Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition is brisk and finely cut, with terrific energy driving the citrus, floral and light tropical notes. Even with all of its energy, the 169 balances the vibrancy of the late-ripening 2013 vintage it is built on, with the depth that the reserve wines added to the blend. The 169 drinks well now but clearly has the potential to age. The 169 is a blend of 146 separate wines back to 2000. Krug ID: 120003. ”
17++/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“Still pretty tight and introvert but a bit more advanced than a year ago – though still extremely youthful. An embryonic wine with a great future. Massively dense and complex.”
96 → 97/100
Essi Avellan MW
“Based on the 2013 vintage, Grande Cuvée really wears the year’s signature with its radiant and racy fruit profile and amplified, saline length. The fine base year is supported by 40% of reserve wines from 10 different vintages all the way down to 2000. The expressive, stylishly oak lined nose comes with delicious fresh fruity profile. Complex and overt already upon launch. The palate is tighter with real vibrancy to it. Pure fruitiness and firm structure of tension, this edition is a keeper.”
96/100
Kristaps Karklins
“One of the greatest hits of this label, Krug’s NV Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition continues to drink beautifully. Built around the 2013 harvest and incorporating 40% reserve wines dating back to 2000, it emerges from the glass with an aromatic spectrum of lemon oil, nashi pear and fresh apricot mingled with notions of almond paste, crème brûlée and burnt buttered toast. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, ample yet incisive, with a deep core of fruit, a bright spine of acidity and chalky structuring extract, concluding with a long, saline finish. Disgorged in early 2021 with a dosage of five grams per liter, it is beginning to pay the dividends that bottle age brings and should continue to develop very nicely. It is also—unsurprisingly, given the inclusion of a substantial reserve-wine component—more demonstrative than the 2013 Brut bottling.”
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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Krug Champagnes
Single Price £196.00
Mix 6 Price £192.00 each
Mix 12 Price £188.00 each
A must have in your cellar based on the 2014 harvest!
