The wine has a complex aroma profile, consisting of honey, white-fleshed fruits, truffles, earthy and yeasty notes, plus a subtle nuttiness in the background. The palate is bright and youthful, filled with pears, green apples, citrus fruits, marmalade, fresh figs and a touch of earth. Long finish, with undertones of minerality and spices.
Reviews:
- Allen Meadows: Brioche, baked apple and prominent yeast elements, but the marmalade character is at this point only a whisper. There is also a better sense of vibrancy to the wonderfully complex flavors where the supporting mousse remains firm and fine, all wrapped in an utterly delicious and, again like the 750 ml version, saliva-inducing finale.
- Wine Spectator: Rich, lush aromas of dried fruit and citrus marmalade, this is Champagne at its most opulent. Honeyed and round on the palate, with fine acidity keeping it focused.
Producer Information
Krug is one of Champagne’s most prestigious houses and its wines are among the most collectible and expensive in Champagne. The house was founded in 1843 by Joseph Krug, a native of the Mosel region in Germany, who had moved to France and spent some time working for Jacquesson, the leading Champagne house of the time. Krug’s philosophy was that every Champagne should be the best possible expression, and eschewed the common idea of a hierarchy of Champagne. Instead, he began to craft a premium wine from a reserve of wines vinified separately by the growers themselves, a wine that would eventually become the Grande Cuvée. This wine sits alongside the likes of Dom Pérignon and Cristal at the top of the Champagne tree, and is a blend of 120 different wines from 10 or more vintages from the so-called Krug Library (a repository of still wines held prior to blending and refermenting in bottle). It is aged for six years, and is noted for its complex brioche and spice characters. Today, the wines are still vinified by individual plot, and are stored in the Krug Library. Every year, the chef de cave heads a tasting committee which decides on the final blend.
