Krug Grande Cuvée is born from the dream of one man, Joseph Krug, to craft the very best Champagne he could offer, every single year, regardless of annual variations in climate. Since 1843, the House of Krug has honoured this vision with each new Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée: the most generous expression of Champagne.
Krug Grande Cuvée is re-created every year, beyond the notion of vintage and is a blend of over 120 individual wines from more than 10 different years. The fullness or flavours and aromas achieved by this careful art of blending would be impossible to express with the wines of a single year.
Krug Grande Cuvée 164ème Édition was composed around the harvest of 2008. Following a mild winter, overcast spring and cool summer, there was concern over the maturation of the grapes, further compounded by a severe hailstorm that hit the village of Sainte-Gemme, reputed for its plots of Meunier. But in mid-September, the clouds miraculously parted and favourable conditions lasted throughout the harvest, which gave us grapes in excellent health and with a good level of maturity.
Krug's unique respect for the individual character of each plot enabled the House to discern the strong potential of a number of lesser-known plots to enhance the blend while wines from plots in Villers-Marmery, Trépail, Mareuil and Ambonnay proved to be the foremost contributors to this singular creation.
As a result, the wines of the year shine through, making up 73% of the final blend, which is quite a unique composition in the history of the House as the three principal Champagne grape varieties are present in almost equal parts. A select number of carefully chosen reserve wines from 11 previous years ensure the breadth, depth, roundness, finesse and elegance so essential to the creation of every Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée.
