Krug "Grande Cuvée" 167 Ème Édition Brut Champagne

Shown alongside the 2011 vintage release, the 2011-based Grande Cuvée demonstrates the utter refinement of Krug's assemblage at almost six years post-disgorgement. Grapefruit marmalade, charry toast and butter leap up with immediate energy, with the warmth of nougat, nuts in honey and ground coffee showing classic development on cork (as well as the high percentage of reserve wines in this edition). There's a beautiful cooked red fruit intensity to the close, detailed and sumptuous yet full of citric energy, with the mousse settling into pillowy luxuriation. Truly hitting its stride now. A blend of 191 wines, with reserves back to 1995. (TH)

The Krug team dug deep into their reserves for the 167th edition, using 42% reserve wines in the final blend, leaning on not only older Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but also some of their prized old vine Meunier. The final composition is 47% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay and 17% Meunier from vintages spanning 1995-2011. This 167th edition of Krug is my favorite out of the gate since the 163rd, and I think might end up being a legend like the 157th, known internally at Krug as the savoir-faire, based on another difficult vintage, the 2001. The use of a lot of reserve wines really shined through in this bottle, with hazelnut complexity, brioche like depth and beguiling savory fruit. The texture, as usual for Krug, is perfect after 7 years of ageing on the lees, and the bead is tight and precise. The best feature is how all of these elements are brought into focus by the incredible minerality of the wine… This is not heavy, vinous stuff, but rather elegant, nuanced Champagne.