First taste: Krug new releases

Maison Krug has pulled out all the stops to draw special attention to its latest Champagne releases.

In addition to the 169th Edition of its always masterful Grande Cuvée, and the Vintage 2008, this famous house based in Reims is also offering a box set containing both the 164th Edition (10 years after the initial release of this Grande Cuvée, which has 2008 as its cornerstone) and the 159th Edition, based on the 2003 vintage.

It also unveiled plans for a new winery in Ambonnay.

Scroll down for Yohan Castaing’s tasting notes and scores for four Krug new releases

2020 vintage conditions

Before presenting the different vintages during a virtual tasting, cellar master Julie Cavil shared her take on the recent 2020 vintage, which she described as ‘an historic and exemplary vintage’.

Historic for its ‘precocity’, and exemplary because it established a new benchmark, formed by the understanding that it has become necessary ‘to forget everything that you think you know about viticulture’.

Indeed, bud burst took place nearly 15 days in advance due to hot weather that brought in its wake severe drought conditions leading to hydric stress and scorched berries in the vineyards.

The ripening phase resulted in quite a mixed bag after a flowering period that was ’long and resulted in levels of heterogeneity in terms of grape development that required us to question all our habits of wine-growing’.

The harvest took place from 20 August 20 to 3 September, and as noted by Julie Cavil, ‘for the first time in 14 years,” the Clos d’Ambonnay was picked at the same time as the Clos du Mesnil.

Patience is needed to enjoy the results as we will have to wait until 2028 for the release of the upcoming 176th Edition that will be based on this challenging 2020 vintage.

169th Edition: based on 2013

For the time being, Krug has chosen to release the 169th Edition, which has the 2013 harvest as its core.

Composed of 35% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 22% Pinot Meunier, this Grande Cuvée was elaborated from nearly 146 different wines and 11 vintages, going back to 2000.

The challenge for Julie Cavil when the time came to orchestrate this edition was ’to accentuate the roundness and elegance’ of 2013 by using 40% of reserve wines.

It must be said that 2013 was yet another challenging vintage marked by hailstorms, an interminable winter, and a cool and rainy spring, all of which unsurprisingly led to variations of ripeness and quality within the Champagne region.

This edition has at its core a crystalline rectitude along with captivating freshness.

2008 & 164th Edition

The 2008 vintage – which is both the pillar of the Grande Cuvée 164th Edition and of course the be-all for the Krug Vintage 2008 – has been highly praised, but was marked by weather that was ‘the least sunny for nearly half a century’, according to Cavil. Throughout the year, the temperatures were cool, and the grapes ripened slowly.

The 164th Edition has been made with some 127 wines from 11 vintages. The portion of reserve wines reaches 32%, the oldest of which is a Chardonnay sourced from Avize and Oger dating back to 1990.

The final blend was 35% Chardonnay, 48% Pinot Noir and 17% Pinot Meunier. The 164th Edition is a benchmark example of how the reserve wines weave their magic on this emblematic cuvée from Krug.

Krug 2008 is unquestionably a very complex Champagne that is all the more remarkable for its fine-boned contours. The important share of Pinot Noir (53%) comes from prized plots in the south of the Montagne de Reims sector (Aÿ, Mareuil, Bouzy and Ambonnay); this is added to 22% Chardonnay, and a high proportion (25%) of Pinot Meunier.

The latter two grape varieties bring welcome vivacity and acidity to this fresh and aromatic Champagne, which has an impressive ageing potential.

159th edition

Lastly, the 159th Edition, based on the infamously warm 2003 vintage, is composed of 120 different wines from 10 different vintages, the oldest of which is 1988.

It is composed of 51% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 19% Pinot Meunier. Reserve wines form 37% of the final blend.

As for the overriding vintage 2003, the ripeness levels in the vineyards were so heterogeneous throughout the region that for the first time in the history of the Champagne appellation, there was a single official harvest kick-off date for all the production areas.

New winery

Julie Cavil also spoke enthusiastically about the project for a new winery in Ambonnay. ‘Transmission is important to us. We have one eye on the past and one on the future. This project, named Joseph 2.0 in homage to the founder Joseph Krug, embodies the fundamentals of our house with the technical means of today. For us, this winery will be like a concert hall with ideal acoustics.’

Cavil will oversee the move of the winemaking facilities from Reims to Ambonnay. ‘There is a threefold purpose to our plans: providing the best conditions possible for the vinification of our wines, for the people who will be working there, and for the environment. We have been working on this project for four years and we are proud of the design of the twin buildings and our eight cellars, which will be home to nearly 500 different barrels.’

Construction has already begun, and the 2023 harvest is expected to be delivered to this site.

The champagnes

Krug 169th Edition will be released in June in the UK, and will be available from fine wine merchants including Clos19, at a recommended retail price of £165.

The 2008 vintage will be released in September, price to be confirmed.

The 159th and 164th edition can be found in the UK at The Finest Bubble, priced at £386 and £230 respectively.

See Yohan Castaing’s tasting notes and scores for four Krug new releases

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