Krug Grande Cuvee 169th Edition #320022 MV (750ML)

97 JS / 97 JD / 96+ WA / 96 WS / 96 DE / 18.5+ JR / 95 WE / 94 VM

This is a layered Champagne with very fine tannins and super beautiful texture and length. Full-bodied with intensity and length. Powerful, austere and tight. Really long and made for the cellar. Vivid. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

Based largely on the 2013 vintage, the NV Grand Cuvée 169eme Edition is another brilliant example of this Champagne that does everything right. Still young and tight, it reveals a vibrant bouquet of stone fruits, toasted bread, chalky minerality, and subtle nutty nuances. Quite fat and concentrated on the palate, this full-bodied beauty has a fine, silky mousse, wonderful balance, and a great, focused, chiseled finish. It's going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and drink brilliantly for 20+ years or more. This is gorgeous and certainly in the same league as the 168eme Edition.

Based on the 2013 vintage and complemented by some 40% reserve wines dating back to 2000, Krug's newly released NV Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition is showing very nicely, unfurling in the glass with notes of citrus oil, buttered toast, dried apricot, warm biscuits and marmalade. Medium to full-bodied, deep and incisive, it's a tauter, more chiseled rendition of Grande Cuvée by comparison with the richer, more textural and more demonstrative 168ème Édition (based on the 2012 vintage) that preceded it; but its bright spine of acidity is nicely cloaked in fruit. Concluding with a long and sapid finish, this is a very classically balanced Champagne that will reward bottle age - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

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 2019 to 2020. Drink now through 2030. - Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator

Soft burnished gold, with a fine and persistent bead. The nose is suitably encyclopaedic, Mirabelle plum, fig and lemon pith and then hints of almond and brioche, the older reserve wines keen to contribute too. Beneath it all steely foundations, an edifice for posterity, not immediately flamboyant but magisterial in its grip and liminal potential. Deft acidity over untroubled waters, with orange groves and a spice market espied from the prow. All is set fair for this voyage. Impressive length. - Decanter, Simon Field

ID 120001. Blend of 146 wines from 11 different years, the youngest of which is from 2013, while the oldest dates back to 2000. The final composition is 43% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 22%. Disgorged early 2020.
Deep copper gold. Tiny, tiny bead. Much more obvious acidity, age and (lightly oaky?) savour on the nose than Cristal 2013. Aérien with blossomy notes with a little mandarin. Very marked acidity on the palate. A real wake-up call! Sleek and fresh and truly spring-like with a light yeasty note on the very long finish. The most pleasure to be had initially is in the nose and the finish. The palate is still a bit of shock. This should have a long life. Bone-dry finish and playing the intellectual card. Throbs on the palate with all its vibrancy. Long. Tighter than the 168ème Édition. Structure dominates fruit. - Jancis Robinson

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. - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast

Krug's NV Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition is brisk and finely cut, with terrific energy driving the citrus, floral and light tropical notes. Even with all of its energy, the 169 balances the vibrancy of the late-ripening 2013 vintage it is built on, with the depth that the reserve wines added to the blend. The 169 drinks well now but clearly has the potential to age. The 169 is a blend of 146 separate wines back to 2000. Krug ID: 320022. (Originally published in May 2021) - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media