Champagne Krug Grande Cuvee

"I freely concede that it's impossible there could have been any change in winemaking that would have filtered through into the Krug Grande Cuvee after Krug was acquired by LVMH, but the wines seemed fresher (and better). I hasten to add the wine is as imperiously complex, rich and mouthfilling as ever, a blend of more than 100 parcels of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier spanning eight to 10 vintages that spends six years on lees prior to disgorgement. It has a fascinating squeaky acidity that is a chord providing the ultimate harmony and balance of a truly superb wine."

97 Points

Australian Wine Companion

"Very fine on the palate, with a lovely texture, carrying layered flavors of patisserie pear, dried apricot, smoked almond, crystallized honey and a hint of kumquat. Vibrant and mouthwatering, featuring a long finish of ground cumin and ginger."

95 Points

Wine Spectator

"This is the best release of Grande Cuvee we've tasted in the last several years, a wine that lives up to its historical greatness with Burgundian richness and Champenoise complexity. It's layered, intense, almost tannic in its grip, bringing high notes of chamomile and allspice to leaven the resinous butterscotch and chalk cave depths. A heady and immense multivintage blend."

95 Points

Wine & Spirits

"With its minimum of six years' bottle aging, this is a beautifully integrated, mature wine. It has a wonderful toast character, layered over sliced pears and ripe acidity. With its complex poise between lightness and richness, this remains an intensely impressive wine."

94 Points

Wine Enthusiast

"Bright yellow-gold. Expressive, toasty bouquet of poached pear, white peach and orange zest, with toasted nut and anise nuances adding complexity. Dry and focused on the palate, offering ripe orchard fruit, buttered toast and ginger flavors that gain weight with air. Shows a suave blend of richness and tension, finishing with excellent clarity and lingering smoke, nut and gingerbread flavors. I'll bet that this Champagne will be even better with another five to ten years of bottle age."

94 Points

International Wine Cellar

"Non-vintaged though it may be, this wine has in the past shown as one of the older cuvees in our tastings, and so again does it do so here. This time, as one expects of Krug, the aged, toasty, minerally character is accompanied by bright, acid-braced, still evident fruit. One might quibble about a bit of chalkiness in the finish. "

92 Points

Connoisseurs' Guide

"The NV Brut Grande Cuvee emerges from the glass with freshly cut flowers, almonds, pastry and spices. This is a relatively floral, bright Grande Cuvee with fewer of the oxidative qualities that are typical of the house style. According to Krug-s ID Code, this bottle is based on the 2004 vintage, which explains the wine-s tense, taut personality. Another year or two on the cork will only help the wine gain expressiveness and depth. Today, the Grande Cuvee is quite reticent and not showing the full breadth of its personality. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. "

91 Points

The Wine Advocate