Winemaker Notes
A light golden color and fine, vivacious bubbles, holding a promise of pleasure. Aromas of flowers in bloom, ripe, dried and citrus fruits, as well as marzipan and gingerbread. Grilled notes and flavors of almond paste, quince, lemon, limoncello and dried fruit.
Krug Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition lends itselfto a wealth of culinary combinations, from the simplest to the most sophisticated, from an aged parmesan to turbot à la truffe.
It can be enjoyed as an aperitif with Jabugo ham and mature comté or served to accompany oysters, grilled shrimps, Indian or Moroccan food, as well as desserts such as carrot cake, tarte tatin and cheesecake.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Still vibrant and focused, with plenty of dried apple, apricot, dried lemon, lime zest, pie crust, toast and flint. Powerful and structured. Tightly wound and deep. 43% pinot noir, 35% chardonnay and 22% pinot meunier, from 2013 to older vintages. 40% reserve wine. Needs time to come together completely.
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Decanter
Great intensity and drive combine with a rich and complex palate, where truffle and woody notes develop as the wine breathes. This feels very youthful and, although it is non-vintage and designed to be drunk on release, I think this will gain more complexity with some extra time in bottle. Powerful yet refined – a very fine Krug based on the 2013 vintage, utilising wines from 11 different years, of which the oldest is 2000.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the greatest hits of this label, Krug’s NV Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition continues to drink beautifully. Built around the 2013 harvest and incorporating 40% reserve wines dating back to 2000, it emerges from the glass with an aromatic spectrum of lemon oil, nashi pear and fresh apricot mingled with notions of almond paste, crème brûlée and burnt buttered toast. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, ample yet incisive, with a deep core of fruit, a bright spine of acidity and chalky structuring extract, concluding with a long, saline finish. Disgorged in early 2021 with a dosage of five grams per liter, it is beginning to pay the dividends that bottle age brings and should continue to develop very nicely. It is also—unsurprisingly, given the inclusion of a substantial reserve-wine component—more demonstrative than the 2013 Brut bottling.
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Wine Spectator
A vivid Champagne, with a chiseled frame of acidity and a chalky underpinning cloaked in a fine mousse that caresses the palate with its gossamer-like texture. Lovely aromas of coffee liqueur, anise and verbena accent the layered flavors of tangerine, Macadamia nut, brioche and ripe plum, a profile that expands on the long, mouthwatering finish. There's power and expressive character to this, with a delicacy to its fine integration and length. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged winter 2020.
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Wine Enthusiast
Pinot richness dominates this Champagne. It gives the dense texture as well as the ripe white fruits that show signs of toastiness as they mature. This full-bodied Champagne is ready to drink.
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Wine & Spirits
Based on the 2013 harvest, the 169th Edition of Krug’s flagship blend includes 146 wines from eleven vintages. The reserve wines account for 40 percent of the blend and date back to 2000. This may be the wildest release of Grande Cuvee in this taster’s memory, a jazz riff touching on hazelnuts, wild mush- rooms, citrus, Cavaillon melon and chalk. The wine’s potent, juicy riches don’t let up, its lasting flavor and energy subtly explosive.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’