Champagne Krug, Grande Cuvée, 171ème Édition, Brut

The blend is 45% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay and 18% Meunier, vintages 2015 through 2000. 

The NV Grande Cuvée 171ème Édition 2015 base vintage) is bright and focused in the glass, showing notable tension and tons of class. Citrus peel, white flowers, mint and white pepper all lend remarkable brightness to a Grande Cuvée that is built more on linear cut rather than volume. Krug is always among the first houses to pick. The 171 clearly shows that style. 

Disgorged: Winter 2021 - 2022

Drink 2023 - 2040

The tightness and tension of this is impressive, considering the youngest wine from this is 2015 hot and dry year), with some wines going back to 2000. Ginger and orange zest. Some creme brulee. It's medium-bodied with apple, pie crust and floral character. It's salty and zesty yet, at the same time, complex and gorgeous. Chamomile and other floral teas highlight everything. Turns rich and flavorful at the finish. Terrific release. It really takes off at the end.

Drink or hold

Spanning from 1998 through the 2015 vintage, the NV Champagne Grande Cuvée 171 is lush with a kaleidoscope of aromas, including orange marmalade, toasted brioche, almond, and ripe peaches. Full-bodied and rounded, it has a hint of warmth on the finish, but it’s highly attractive, balanced, and long, with outstanding depth and richness. This fantastic expression of the Grand Cuvée is gorgeous right out of the gate and will be a great addition for collectors to enjoy over the coming two decades. 

Drink 2023 - 2043

The NV Grande Cuvée 171ème Edition is a delightful blend of 45% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay and 18% Pinot Meunier and boasts an attractive and captivating aroma of dried fruits, pastry, lemon oil, marzipan, spring flowers and ginger, with hints of almond and vanilla notes that become more pronounced over time. This medium to full-bodied wine is precise and well-structured, with a fleshy core of fruit and a sapid, incisive finish. Crafted around the 2015 vintage, the blend comprises 131 reserve wines from as far back as 2000 42% of the total blend) and is expected to age beautifully over the next decade.

The Grande Cuvée 171ème Edition is built around the 2015 vintage, but “the Chardonnays and Meuniers showed a little restraint,” said cellar master Julie Cavil. So, she included the 2008, 2013 and 2014 vintages to bring vivacity and tension. Furthermore, the cuvée has been enhanced by adding 131 wines from 12 different years, the youngest of which is the 2015, of course, and the oldest dating back to 2000.

Drink 2023 - 2040