Expert Reviews - 171st Edition
James Suckling 99 Points | The tightness and tension of this is impressive considering the youngest wine from this is 2015 (hot and dry year), with some wines going back to 2000. Ginger and orange zest. Some creme brulee. It's medium-bodied with apple, pie crust and floral character. It's salty and zesty yet, at the same time, complex and gorgeous. Chamomile and other floral teas highlight everything. Turns rich and flavorful at the finish. Terrific release. Really takes off at the end. Drink or hold.
The Tasting Panel 99 Points | A blend of 131 wines from 12 different vintages - the youngest being 2015, the oldest 2000 - this extraordinary beauty consists of 45% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay, and 18% Meunier. With all the easeful poise and underlying complexity of a Slim Aarons composition, it abounds in aromas of white flowers intertwined with brioche; preserved lemon and makrut lime; nuts (almond, pistachio); pie spice including cinnamon and ginger; and a smoky, almost salumi-like dash of cracked white pepper plus a whiff of earth. The entry is so cashmere-smooth and the finish so long that the palate seems - like its super-fine mousse - near-endless as it offers up grilled lemon, cream-splashed yellow plum, lime curd-topped biscuit, and a lithe throughline of salinity. It's the epitome of finesse.
The Wine Spectator 96 Points | A vivid Champagne, with chiseled acidity and a fine, vivacious mousse creating a buoyant frame for layered flavors of crushed black raspberry, grilled nuts, pink grapefruit sorbet and coffee liqueur, plus fragrant accents of ground ginger and anise, graphite and lime blossoms. Long and expressive on the finish, crackling with a lingering fleur de sel note. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier.
Decanter 95 Points | Two years on from its disgorgement, this 2015-based edition has settled beautifully, showing all the sunniness of the base year with its mandarin and apricot plushness, surprisingly smooth and silky up front before settling into its broad, inviting range of praline, cappuccino and bitter almond aromatics and subtle fruit skin chewiness. It's a punchy, fulsome edition thanks to the base year's intensity, but it has been beautifully tamed into a characteristically suave and multilayered Grande Cuvée. A blend of 131 wines, with reserves back to the year 2000.
Vinous 95 Points | The NV Grande Cuvée 171ème Édition, based on the 2015 vintage, is every bit as impressive as it was the last time I tasted it. Creamy, layered and resonant, the 171 is seriously impressive. The style is one that favors tension over volume. Lemon peel, white flowers and white pepper open first. Hints of marzipan, tangerine peel and spice add an exotic flair to this mid-weight, understated Grand Cuvée. Floral notes and bright acids perk up the finish. The 171 is wonderfully fresh and vibrant from start to finish. The blend is 45% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay and 18% Meunier, vintages 2015 through 2000.
Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points | Spanning from 1998 through the 2015 vintage, the NV Champagne Grande Cuvee 171 is lush with a kaleidoscope of aromas including orange marmalade, toasted brioche, almond, and ripe peaches. Full-bodied and rounded, it has a hint of warmth on the finish, but it’s highly attractive, balanced, and long, with outstanding depth and richness. This fantastic expression of the Grand Cuvee is gorgeous right out of the gate and will be a great addition for collectors to enjoy over the coming two decades.
Winemaker Description
To create this Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée, the Cellar Master looked to accentuate the year’s elegantly diverse aromatic expressions with different plots’ reserve wines from 10 other years, giving it a unique fullness of flavours and aromas, impossible to express with the wines of a single year. The careful attention given to the vines and Krug’s unique respect for the individual character of each plot and its wine enabled the depth of expression of this Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée. It is the full orchestra, playing together the symphony of Champagne.
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 final composition of this Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée is 44% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay and 20% Meunier.
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