Krug Grand Cuvee 173 – The very best of 2017 combined with some of the very best, ever

The task of composing a new Grande Cuvée must be an extremely daunting one. For this, the 173rd Edition, Julie Cavil, Krug’s Cellar Master, selected 150 different reserve wines, spanning 13 different vintages (the oldest being 2001) and threaded them together around the small, challenging 2017 vintage.

Those in the know often seek out off vintage bases of Grand Cuvee, as they are usually chock full of the best back vintages of the past two decades. This is especially true of 173, which, sees the tiny 2017 vintage bolstered by healthy quantities of 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2013 – some of the most brilliant vintages this century.

We tasted the 173rd Edition recently and loved it. This is a quintessential Krug, full of detail, body, freshness and density. Toasty stone fruits on the nose with an abundance of peach and nectarine alongside smoky crushed flint aromas. More citrus led on the palate with lemon tart, orange peel, and chalky minerality. Delicate vanilla scented almond pastry and French toast coalesce on the gloriously long finish. This is still young and primal, but wonderfully structured and poised. It is a Champagne of the highest order, guaranteed to give pleasure now, or at any time over the next 10 to 20 years.

For those who enjoy Krug Rosé, we’re also able to offer a very limited number of cases of** Krug Rosé 29th Edition** – also based around the 2017 vintage. This Rosé offers up a nose of raspberry, strawberry, cherry and bitter grapefruit, while Blood orange, dried plum and orange zest mingle on the nutty, yeasty, salty, umami driven finish.