Krug - Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 173ème NV

The House of Krug was founded in 1843 by a man named Joseph Krug with the sole mission of capturing the true essence of Champagne. Since that year the House has remained devoted to the production of prestige champagnes, always with the founder's original philosophy in mind. Joseph Krug took terroir very seriously, knowing that quality champagne could only be achieved by using great wines separately vinified from great grapes, grown on various parcels around the region. But one thing seemed to trouble him: the level of impact that weather conditions from one vintage to the next could have on the quality of the wines. So, he began to build a collection of reserve wines, with which he experimented to determine the perfect blend. Krug believed that any great Champagne House should create 2 cuvees: a consistent expression of the Champagne terroir produced each year, and a vintage cuvee reflecting the conditions of a particular year, produced only in the best years. The decision was made early on to produce, from one year to the next, exclusively prestige champagnes, a trait that remains unique to Krug to this day. 

Joseph Krug decided to immortalize this great vision in the pages of his cherry-red notebook, which he eventually left for his son Paul and which still remains at the estate today. Year after year, he would create a blend from his grand library of “vins clairs” (or base wines) in a style that would become the signature of the House. Krug’s notebook refers to this cuvee as Champagne No. 1, a wine that would one day become known as the Krug Grand Cuvee. Champagne No.2, an expression of the circumstances of a particular year as captured by Krug, would become Krug Vintage, a blend of the most beautifully expressive wines from a single year, only produced in vintages worth sharing with the world.

In the 1970's, the fifth generation of the Krug family - Henri and Remi Krug - decided to add a rosé champagne, inspired by Pinot Noir, to the range. The brothers also made a wonderful discovery: that the fifteen plots (1.84 hectares in total) of Chardonnay vines that they had purchased in Mesnil-sur-Oger were producing wines of magnificent quality. In 1979 they revealed the Krug Clos du Mesnil, an exclusive cuvee dedicated to only one plot of only one grape variety and in only one year. The Krug Clos d'Ambonnay cuvee was created just a few years later to express what the House considered its very best plot of Pinot Noir grapes. In 1999, Krug became part of the LVMH group.

Today, the Krug House of Champagne is run by Henri Krug’s son, Olivier Krug, representing the 6th generation of the family. The incredible passion and savoir-faire of the visionary Joseph Krug lives on in every drop of Krug Champagne.

Composed around the harvest of 2017, Krug Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition is a blend of 150 wines from 13 different years. The youngest is from the year 2017 and the oldest dates back to 2001. In all, reserve wines from the Maison’s extensive library make up 31% of the final blend, bringing the breadth and roundness so essential to each Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée. The final composition of this champagne is 44% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay and 22% Meunier. In all, over 20 years of careful craftsmanship were necessary to enjoy Krug Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition.

“Extremely complex, showing dried apples, light caramel, brioche and flint with cedar, nuts and hints of gunmetal. Integrated, caressing bubbles. Medium-bodied with a laser-guided, compacted and extremely long palate that focuses the character and the flavors. So deep and polished. Tangy at the end. Drink or hold.” - 97 Points, James Suckling

"Vibrant and rich, statuesque yet graceful, this lovely Champagne offers an expansive range of patisserie apple and pear fruit, grilled macadamia nut, lime and tangerine peel notes, with fragrant saffron, clove, espresso and mineral accents. A lithe, focused spine of lemony acidity and an underlying streak of salinity are enmeshed in the flavor profile, and the fine, satinlike mousse carries everything on the long, mouthwatering finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. Disgorged winter 2023–2024 (Krug ID 124003). Drink now through 2040.” - 96 Points, Wine Spectator

“Krug’s recently unveiled NV Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition—accounting for approximately 80% of the house’s total production—performs well, particularly considering the challenges of the base vintage, 2017. That year saw considerable rot pressure in red varieties, making meticulous sorting essential; some lots deemed unfit for Krug’s standards were even diverted to distillation. The conceptual cornerstone of the Grande Cuvée is the use of the house’s vast library—drawing from some 500 options—to complement the base vintage and moderate the extremes of any given growing season. The 173ème Édition comprises 150 wines across 13 vintages, with the 2017 base making up 69% of the final assemblage. Disgorged in January 2024 with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter, it opens with aromas of pear, golden apple, lemon curd and early white blossoms interlaced with a distant hint of nutmeg. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, textural and charming, laden with tangy acidity and animated by a pillowy mousse, and it concludes with a long, saline finish. Compared with its immediate predecessor, the 173ème Édition is broader and more giving, while the 172ème Édition tauter and more incisive. As experienced Krug aficionados will recognize, the inclusion of reserve wines—which may have undergone malolactic fermentation—renders the Grande Cuvée more immediately approachable than the house’s vintage-dated Champagnes, offering a more generous drinking experience on release.” - 94 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Producer: Krug

Country: France

Region: Champagne

Varietal: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier

Appellation: Champagne

Vintage: NV

Size: 750ml