A light golden colour 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 flavours of almond paste, quince, lemon, limoncello and dried fruit.

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.

It is a blend of 131 wines from 12 different years, the youngest of which is from 2015, while the oldest dates back to 2000. Its final composition is 45% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay and 18% Meunier. A stay of around seven years in Krug’s cellars gives Krug Grande Cuvée 171ème Édition its distinct expression and elegance.

Krug Grande Cuvée 171ème Édition was composed around the harvest of 2015, a year marked by unprecedented heat and drought that prevailed from the end of May to mid-August, slowing grape development. Fortunately, rains and reasonable temperatures in the second half of August allowed the berries to grow in optimal conditions. The harvest took place under the rain between August 31 and September 21, with great heterogeneity from plot to plot. To create this Édition, the Cellar Master looked to accentuate the year’s elegantly diverse aromatic expressions with a broad spectrum of different plots’ wines from 11 other years. In all, reserve wines from the House’s extensive library made up 42% of the final blend, bringing the breadth and roundness so essential to each Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée.

The art of blending wines from so many different years gives Krug Grande Cuvée its unique fullness of flavours and aromas, impossible to express with the wines of just a single year. The Édition number identifies a specific creation of Krug Grande Cuvée. It corresponds to the number of years in the House of Krug the founder’s dream has been re-created. The full story of every Édition is revealed online via its Krug iD, the six digits on the back label. Krug Grande Cuvée, like all Krug Champagnes, will continue to gain with the passage of time.

Krug Grande Cuvée 171ème Édition lends itself to 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.