Grande Cuvee 161eme Edition
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2035
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Classic matches include aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, roasted turbot in a rich butter sauce, and slow-roasted poultry with black truffles.
✨ Technical Specifications
The Krug Grande Cuvée 161ème Édition is a masterclass in the art of blending, created around the harvest of 2005. Joseph Krug founded the house with the revolutionary philosophy that a great Champagne house should craft the ultimate expression of pleasure every year, independent of vintage variations. To achieve this, the 161ème Édition blends 134 individual wines from 12 different years, with the oldest reserve dating back to 1990. Composed of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Meunier, the base wines were fermented in traditional small oak casks, lending a signature micro-oxygenation and structural depth. After receiving its cork, this Édition rested for over seven years in the historic Reims cellars, developing an extraordinary complexity of dried citrus, toasted brioche, gingerbread, and hazelnut, underpinned by a vibrant, mineral-driven freshness.
🍾 About the Producer
Maison Krug was established in Reims in 1843 by visionary merchant Joseph Krug, who sought to craft the most generous expression of Champagne annually, regardless of climatic variations. Situated in the heart of Champagne, the maison draws fruit from premier and grand cru parcels spanning the limestone-rich terroirs of the Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, and Vallée de la Marne, supplemented by historic walled monopoles like Clos du Mesnil and Clos d'Ambonnay. Viticulture is conducted under rigorous sustainable standards, eschewing herbicides and synthetic insecticides while adhering to Viticulture Durable en Champagne (VDC) frameworks. Krug's foundational cellar philosophy centers on plot-by-plot vinification, fermenting base wines primarily in aged 205-liter oak barrels. Under Chef de Cave Julie Cavil, hundreds of distinct still wines and an extensive library of reserve vintages are systematically evaluated. The house's signature benchmark, Krug Grande Cuvée—each release cataloged by its specific Édition—stands alongside Krug Rosé, Krug Vintage, and single-vineyard masterpieces as archetypes of profound vinous depth, racy minerality, and monumental longevity.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier