| Sparkling Wine | Champagne | |||||
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Cellar Notes |
Date printed: 09/06/10 |
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Price on 09/06/10: $199.99 |
Winemaker's Notes
"Krug Grande Cuvee is as a symphony, a composition where the instruments all play together, complementing each other in total harmony," says winemaker Henri Krug. The flagship of the house, Grande Cuvee is imposing in character from the first moment in the glass. The "birth" of Krug Grande Cuvee, through its first fermentation exclusively in small oak casks, ensures the unique personality and dimension that is the Krug Style.The composition of the "cuvee" is a stunning mosaic of flavors where the three champagne grapes, 20-25 growths and 6-10 different years, combine to give Krug Grande Cuvee its complexity, elegance and consistency year after year, blend after blend. To maintain this consistency Krug reserves a large selection of unblended still wines from previous vintages, blending them with the youngest crop to create a fully balanced taste. These "reserve" wines may represent between a third and a half of the cuvee. There is no formula or recipe for Krug Grande Cuvee. Each year the Krug family meets to re-create "their" Krug Grande Cuvee. This is done with careful attention to the most minute detail so that after six years of aging, it will be in perfect continuity with previous Krugs. The bouquet is wonderfully creamy, leading to magical combination of weight and balance on the palate. The long, lingering finish is both nutty and toasty, ending with a final flourish of freshness, leaving one longing for more.
International Wine Cellar Very fine mousse Sweetly spicy, soil-inflected aromas of nutmeg, nut oil, toasted biscuit, smoke and minerals, with the ineffable yeast autolysis character of the greatest Champagnes. Huge, rich and ripe; combines an almost exotic character with great nervosite (no one blends old and young juice more skillfully than Krug). Wonderfully full and thick but with vibrant, perfectly integrated acidity. Urgent yet suave. The finishing flavors of toasted bread, nuts, spices and orange zest go on and on. Score: 95. —Stephen Tanzer, March 28, 2006.Wine Spectator A complex, refined Champagne, with vanilla, coconut, lemon and mineral aromas and flavors. Fresh and elegant, yet deep and persistent, evoking whole-grain toast. This dovetails nicely on the lingering finish. Drink now through 2012. Score: 94. —Bruce Sanderson, November 30, 2008.
Wine Enthusiast This multivintage blend nails the essence of Krug, intense richness of fruit and flavor without weight. Meaty mushroom and soy aromas are balanced by rich red fruits, citrus, toast and mineral notes. Long finish. Score: 94. —Joe Czerwinski, December 01, 2005.
Wine Advocate Oddly, the most consistent Krug wine I have been tasting lately is their non-vintage Brut Grand Cuvee, a big, boldly styled Champagne with smoky, earthy, pear, apple, and spicy aromas as well as flavors, loads of effervescence, and fine body and depth. Score: 93. —Robert Parker, December 2005.
About Krug
Established in 1843, Krug has specialized in solely prestige and exceptional champagnes. Dedication to quality takes precedence over quantity of production. Using traditional methods the House of Krug does not compromise time or expense with their cuvées. Krug is the only Champagne House still fermenting all of its champagnes the age-old way-in small oak casks necessary for developing Krug's intense bouquet and complex flavor. Today, Henri, Rémi, Olivier and Caroline, the 5th and 6th generations of the Krug family, oversee every phase of production. The taste of Krug is greatly enhanced by an exceptionally long period of maturation (6 to 8 years) in the Krug cellars before release. This requires, of course, maintaining a stock covering at least six years of sales, a practice unparalleled in Champagne.