Krug "Grande Cuvée" 164 Ème Édition Brut Champagne

The beautiful release of Krug’s “164ème Édition” is based on the superb vintage of 2008 and has been my favorite recent iteration of Grande Cuvée since I first tasted it in 2017. The wine’s cépages in this release ended up being forty-eight percent pinot noir, thirty-five percent chardonnay and eighteen percent pinot meunier, with reserve wines used in the blend stretching all the way back to 1990. Out of magnum, the wine is still a tad on the young side for my personal tastes and deserves a bit longer in the cellar. However, that does not mean it is not drinking beautifully, offering up scents of apple, pear, caraway seed, almond, a touch of passion fruit, fresh-baked bread, a superb base of chalky minerality and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and zesty, with lovely depth at the core, fine mineral undertow, impeccable balance and grip, refined mousse and a long, complex and beautifully precise finish.

A tightly wound and austere Grande Cuvée, the base vintage shouts loudest (reserve wines add subtle depth and interest, but the effects are subtle at this early stage). A lovely finesse of oak, the wood is harmoniously integrated adding a light dusting of vanilla to the ensemble. The palate possesses amazing density and promises massive complexity far into the future. A stunning edition of Grande Cuvée that you really ought to seek out. *Five Stars* (SP)

Krug Grand Cuvee has long been a go-to for me when it comes to a luxury Champagne. It has the magic combination of brand recognition (aka "bling factor") but also consistently maintains exceptional quality (something that can't be said for some of it's peers). Krug is the benchmark for richer styles of Champagne. It has a crowd pleasing nutty, toasty character but also a beautiful acid line and lingering minerality. This house is also undoubtedly THE master of blending. They have a staggering amount of reserve wines from different villages, single parcels and past vintages. You might think that the mastery of this blending technique would be kept close to the chest as a proprietary secret...and yet the opposite is true! Krug has embraced full transparency when it comes to what components make up their Grand Cuvee placing an ID number on each and every bottle that details its composition. They have now started noting what "Edition" the wine comes from front and center on the label. My take is that when you do everything with the true diligence and commitment to detail that Krug does then I guess you don't have anything to hide! Finally (talk about burying the lead...) this 164th Edition of the Grand Cuvee is largely based on 2008 with reserve wines back to 1990! The focus, tension and linear nature of the legendary 2008 vintage is clear to see in this bottling. This is a seriously good and very distinctive bottling of Grand Cuvee and I believe one that will continue to improve for years (if not decades) in the cellar.