NV Krug, Grande Cuvee 171eme

ABOUT THE WINE
The House of Krug was founded in 1843 in the city of Reims by Joseph Krug. His vision was that the House should produce two Champagnes in every vintage, one which exemplified the circumstances of the vintage, and one which would be altered through the addition of reserve wines to create the most “generous expression of Champagne”. In pursuit of this, the House vinifies every parcel of vines separately, in used oak barrels which allow for some controlled oxidation (providing the basis for the ‘generosity’ that characterises the House style), and maintains a library of some 150 reserve wines for up to 15 years to provide blending material for their Grande Cuvée. These wines are kept separate until the final blending process, after which the finished wines are aged in bottle for at least 7 years.

TASTING NOTES
Based on the 2011 harvest, the 167th Edition of Krug Grande Cuvée is characterised by rich aromas of flowers and dried fruit, with a hint of ginger. The palate is full and round, in classic Krug style, with hazelnut, rich citrus fruit, brioche and toasted almond, giving way to a crisp, clean finish.

FOOD PAIRING
The weight and power of this Champagne makes it extremely versatile for food-pairing; it will go well with anything from cured meats to mature hard cheeses. It is also well-suited to lighter styles of Indian cuisine and seafood, especially grilled shrimp.

FRIARWOOD SAYS
191 different wines, 58% from the 2011 vintage and the remainder from 12 different reserve vintages (the oldest coming from 1995), were blended to produce this edition.