Krug, Grande Cuvée, Edition 169,

Quality is something that Krug know a fair bit about, having have made nothing but Prestige Cuvees every single year since Joseph Krug started the Maison in 1843. At the helm of this great house is Olivier Krug, who today is driving quality to ever greater heights. Precision and hard work in both the vines and the cellar, together with some enviable vineyard holdings, make their Champagnes some of the most sought after in the world.

Their flagship wine is Krug Grand Cuvee, a blend of 10 vintages and over 120 different wines from numerous parcels and villages. The fermentation in used oak barrels allows a plot by plot vinification and does not exist to impart any oak flavour. Each parcel is kept in steel tank after fermentation until it is called upon for the Grande Cuvée blend. The oldest single wine currently is a 16 year old parcel of Grand Cru Bouzy. Extended ageing sur lie is another hallmark of Krug, the Grand Cuvee is never kept for less than 6 years before degorgement, the vintage 10 years, and even more extreme is the Krug Collection – vintage Krug that is kept at least 20 years before degorgement. At the top of the pyramid sits two rare and much sought after single vineyard wines, Clos de Mesnil, from Mesnil-Sur-Oger in the Cotes de Blancs, and Krug Clos d’Ambonnay, from the village of the same name on the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims.