Krug Grande Cuvee 172 750mL

Krug Grande Cuvée 172ème Édition is built on the 2016 harvest and blends 146 wines from 11 years, the oldest from 1998. It is a composed, quietly layered Édition that shows its best with a little more time.

About This Champagne

The 2016 weather swung hard. Spring was very wet, with about 70% more rain than usual from April to June, which pushed up disease pressure. Things calmed from flowering onwards and ripening ended in a heatwave, and the long harvest ran from 9 September to 2 October. The wines were healthy and expressive, and the cellar balanced them with reserves from ten other years, making up 42% of the blend. The final mix is 44% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay and 20% Meunier.

Tasting Profile

• Nose: White flowers, candied lemon, orange peel, apricot and marzipan.
• Palate: Firm and dense for now, with hazelnut, nougat, jellied citrus and honeyed brioche; a salty tang keeps it lively.
• Finish: Long and racy, with spice and toasted pastry lingering.

Serving & Food

Best around 11°C in a tulip glass; open it half an hour before dinner if you can. It will gain from another year or two in bottle and keep well beyond. Pair with seared tuna, crab with ginger and scallion or a mild Moroccan tagine.

How to Enjoy

Cellaring for a few years and serving at a sit-down dinner with food that has some depth.

Product Details

About the Maison

Krug keeps its range deliberately short, and there is no entry-level cuvée. The line-up runs to Grande Cuvée, Rosé, Vintage, the late-release Krug Collection and two single-plot wines, Clos du Mesnil and Clos d'Ambonnay. The house holds that all of them sit at the same level of distinction; they differ in character and rarity, not rank.

Grande Cuvée is the centre of that range and takes most of the cellar's effort. Each Édition spends around seven years in the cellars, while the Vintage and the two Clos wines stay for more than ten.