Krug Grande Cuvée is the archetype of Krug's philosophy of craftsmanship and savoir faire: a blend of around 120 wines from ten or more different vintages, some of which may have reached twenty years of age. Blending so many vintages gives Grande Cuvée its unique fullness of flavours and aromas, its incredible generosity and its absolute elegance: something impossible to express with the wines of just a single year. Over twenty years are needed to craft each bottle and its exceptional finesse is the result of a stay of at least another six years in the cellars: the first prestige cuvée re-created each year, beyond the very notion of vintage. Krug buy Meunier grapes from two petit crus; the Cote de Bar in the warmest part of champagne nearer Burgundy than Reims and also from the village of Sainte-Gemme because of their intense fruit expression and freshness they bring to the blend.
Krug Grande Cuvée 161st Edition NV (2005) | Krug ID: 313037
Based on 2005, it is a blend of 134 wines from twelve vintages: the oldest being 1990 and the youngest 2005. Reserve wines in this blend bring brightness, richness and depth to the 2005 wines, mainly through well-developed old Chardonnays and multiple expressions of Meunier from different vintages. This edition was disgorged in Summer 2013.
Krug Grande Cuvée 162nd Edition NV (2006) | Krug ID: 214032
Based on 2006, it is a blend of 142 wines from eleven vintages: the oldest being 1990 and the youngest 2006. Reserve wines lend structure and depth to the base vintage wines, which seemed to be somewhat too homogenous. In the warm 2006 vintage, Krug's many plots in the villages of Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Villers-Marmery provided shine and minerality to the blend. Disgorged in Spring 2014
Krug Grande Cuvée 163rd Edition NV (2007) | Krug ID: 315051
The first release to display the Edition on the label. Based on 2007, it is a blend of 183 wines from twelve vintages: the oldest being 1990 and the youngest 2007. In this early-harvest year aromas were considered more impressive than taste. Thus, the reserve wines lend the complexity, roundness, body and length which were less pronounced in the base vintage. Disgorged in Summer 2015
Krug Grande Cuvée 164th Edition NV (2008) | Krug ID: 414076
Based on 2008, it is a blend of 127 wines from eleven vintages: the oldest being 1990 and the youngest 2008. The 2008 vintage has produced wines of tight structure, so purity of fruit and strong underlying acidity will likely give the wines huge ageing potential. Because this vintage has such a strong personality, the amount of reserve wines in the 164th Edition is higher than normal. Disgorged January 2016
Krug Grande Cuvée 165th Edition NV (2009) | Krug ID: 416036
Based on 2009, it is a blend of 127 wines from nine vintages: the oldest being 1990 and the youngest 2009. After a frosty start to the year, the wonderfully mild spring offered an auspicious beginning to the growing season. From late summer onwards, the vines basked in warm and dry conditions and the grapes ripened beautifully. When the harvest began, they were in excellent health and showed a perfect level of maturity. Disgorged Autumn 2016
Krug Grande Cuvée 166th Edition NV (2010) | Krug ID: 117005
The majority 58% is from its base year of 2010 and the remaining 42% is from 10 vintages of reserve wines the oldest being 1998 and the youngest 2009 some 140 wines make up the blend. The 2010 year looked great until August, the cool end to the growing season slowed ripening and most grapes in Champagne were picked early as weather threatened and hence 2010 will be a year of few vintage releases. Krug allowed enough of its plots to reach good maturity while maintaining healthy grapes. The stand out grapes from the vintage were the year's Meunier which had great fruit and energy. Some high quality reserve wines from 2000 helped with structure while the plots in Oger lent a generous ripe fruit roundness to this edition. Disgorged Winter 2017.
Each bottle of Krug Grande Cuvée NV has a Krug ID on the back label which enables you to discover the story of that very bottle. You can use the ID codes above to discover more information about each blend on the smartphone App or on the Krug website.
Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand Cru
Reserve Wines: 30-50%
Ageing: 6-7 years on the lees
Dosage: 6 g/l
Alcohol: 12%
Krug Grande Cuvée Limited Edition NV includes six 75cl bottles as described, presented in a beautifully crafted and branded wooden case (as shown in the picture on the left).