Grande Cuvee 172eme Edition
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2034
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Pan-seared sea scallops, roasted turbot with butter sauce, or aged Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
✨ Technical Specifications
The Krug Grande Cuvee 172eme Edition is a testament to the visionary dream of Joseph Krug, who in 1843 set out to craft the most generous expression of Champagne every year, regardless of climatic variations. This specific edition is structured around the harvest of 2016, a year marked by extreme weather contrasts from spring frosts to a scorching late summer. To achieve the signature Krug complexity, 146 individual wines from 11 different years were meticulously blended, with the oldest reserve wine dating back to 1998 and the youngest from 2016. Composed of 44% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay, and 20% Meunier, the base wines were fermented in traditional small oak casks before undergoing over seven years of patient maturation in the house's historic chalk cellars. This painstaking process yields a Champagne of extraordinary tension, depth, and aromatic richness, defined by notes of toasted brioche, citrus blossom, gingerbread, and hazelnut.
🍾 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