Grande Cuvee 169eme Edition
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2038
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Aged hard cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano, roasted poultry with wild mushrooms, and delicate seafood dishes such as pan-seared scallops.
✨ Technical Specifications
The Krug Grande Cuvee 169eme Edition represents the 169th annual recreation of founder Joseph Krug's vision: to craft the most generous expression of Champagne every year, transcending the limitations of a single vintage. This specific edition is built around the harvest of 2013, a cool and late-ripening growing season that yielded grapes of remarkable structure and freshness. To achieve its signature complexity, the house blended 146 reserve wines from 11 different years, spanning from the vibrant 2013 vintage back to the rich 2000 vintage. Composed of 43% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, and 22% Meunier, the base wines were individually fermented in small oak casks to foster micro-oxygenation and structural depth. Following a meticulous blending process, the bottles rested in Krug's chalk cellars in Reims for over seven years, resulting in a Champagne of extraordinary tension, boasting notes of citrus, toasted brioche, hazelnut, and gingerbread.
🍾 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