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Krug Grande Cuvée is born from Joseph Krug’s dream to craft the very best Champagne every single year, regardless of the climate’s natural variations. He founded the House in Reims in 1843 as a visionary non-conformist with an uncompromising philosophy: honor the character of each vineyard, respect the individuality of every plot and its wine, and build a vast library of reserve wines to ensure excellence beyond the limits of a single harvest.

Today, Maison Krug fulfills that vision annually with a new Edition of Krug Grande Cuvée—the House’s most generous and complete expression of Champagne. Each edition reflects a specific creation in this ongoing legacy, symbolized by its unique number, which marks another year in the founder’s re-imagined dream.

Transcending the notion of vintage, Krug Grande Cuvée is traditionally composed of more than 120 individual wines from over 10 years, creating a depth and fullness impossible to achieve from a single year alone. It is Champagne in its most orchestral form—a symphony of flavors and aromas in perfect harmony.

Composed around the outstanding harvest of 2016, the Krug Grande Cuvée 172nd Edition unites 146 wines from 11 different years, with the youngest from 2016 and the oldest dating back to 1998. The 2016 vintage brought dramatic contrasts: an exceptionally wet spring—with 70% more rainfall than average—made vineyard work challenging and raised disease pressure, yet calm weather from flowering onward allowed the vines to recover before a final heatwave at the end of ripening.

To complete the blend, 42% reserve wines from the House’s extensive library were added, bringing the breadth, depth, and roundness essential to every Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée.

44% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay  and 20% Meunier.

At first sight, intense yellow gold. An elegant and aromatic nose of white flowers, lavender, and almond holds the promise of finesse upon the first sip.

The palate is delicate and intense, long, fresh, and persistent. White fruits dominate over yellow and are complemented by citrus through Krug Grande Cuvée’s characteristic lemony notes. 

Gentle nuances of white flowers and violet caress the palate, giving way to hints of eucalyptus and menthol.

This is the most recent bottling of this iconic Champagne. There is a touch of toast as well as enticing apple and citrus aromas. On the palate, this wine is rich, intense, poised between maturity and ripe white fruits. It is a beautifully balanced wine, ready to drink. ~ 98 Wine Enthusiast

Beautiful notes of dried citrus fruit, lemon curd, and dried apples with hints of spices, dried flowers, and subtle brioche. I like the polished and caressing texture and steady, refreshing acidity. It’s fresh and even austere, with notes of ground spices. So vertical and firm. Structured and long. Drink or hold. ~ 97 James Suckling

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. ~ 97 Decanter

This classy Champagne waltzes across the palate with fluid poise and grace. The mousse's pointillism-like beads and a vivid frame of acidity buoy the detailed range of aromas and flavors, including chopped cherry, dried apricot, tangerine peel and plum cake notes, plus fragrant hints of grated ginger, lime blossoms, ground coffee and grilled nuts. A tang of salinity drives the racy, lingering finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier.  ~ 96 Wine Spectator

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. ~ 95 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

~ 94 Cellar Tracker

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