Krug - Brut Champagne Grande Cuvee 173rd Edition NV (750ml)
Expressive, fragrant and powerful on the nose with aromas of toast and brioche, stone fruit, verbena, vanilla pastry cream, French toast and baba au rhum. On the palate, this champagne is unctuous, creamy and generous, expressing flavours aligned with the nose. Nuances of juicy fruits, peach in syrup and ripe citrus give way to encaustic, toasted notes and pine nut. A generous and precise mouthfeel with a crisp, mouthwatering lemon finish calls for another sip.
Krug Description
Composed around the harvest of 2017, Krug Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition is a blend of 150 wines from 13 different years. The youngest is from the year 2017 and the oldest dates back to 2001. In all, reserve wines from the Maison’s extensive library make up 31% of the final blend, bringing the breadth and roundness so essential to each Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée. The final composition of this champagne is 44% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay and 22% Meunier. In all, over 20 years of careful craftsmanship were necessary to enjoy Krug Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition.
James Suckling: 97 Points
Extremely complex, showing dried apples, light caramel, brioche and flint with cedar, nuts and hints of gunmetal. Integrated, caressing bubbles. Medium-bodied with a laser-guided, compacted and extremely long palate that focuses the character and the flavors. So deep and polished. Tangy at the end. Drink or hold.
Wine Spectator: 96 Points
Vibrant and rich, statuesque yet graceful, this lovely Champagne offers an expansive range of patisserie apple and pear fruit, grilled macadamia nut, lime and tangerine peel notes, with fragrant saffron, clove, espresso and mineral accents. A lithe, focused spine of lemony acidity and an underlying streak of salinity are enmeshed in the flavor profile, and the fine, satinlike mousse carries everything on the long, mouthwatering finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier.
Wine Enthusiast: 96 Points
Editors’ Choice
The nose is immediately inviting, filled with toasted brioche topped with baked apple, pear and citrus peel, soft florals and spice for depth. The palate is generous and finely textured, balancing bright acidity with a creamy mousse that carries lemon confit, honeyed stone fruit enveloped in a nutty pastry. It finishes long, saline and utterly compelling, leaving a lasting impression of finesse and energy.
Vinous: 95 Points
The NV Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition, based on the 2017 vintage, is every big as exceptional as it was the last time I tasted it a few months ago. Beautifully textured, the 173ème offers a captivating mix of floral and tropical notes, with gorgeous richness and fabulous balance. Time in the glass softens the mid-palate nicely.
Wine Advocate: 94 Points
Revisiting Krug’s NV Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition, it continues to evolve at a glacial pace. As I’ve written before, the base of this edition is the 2017 harvest, which makes up 69% of the blend, and the wine was disgorged in early 2024 with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter. It opens in the glass with aromas of lemon confit, pear and golden apple mingled with notes of freshly baked bread, buttered toast and a hint of nutmeg. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, with a slightly darker-fruited profile than the 174ème Édition, underpinned by racy acids and animated by a pillowy mousse, before concluding with a long, citrus-inflected finish. It is already offering very attractive drinking.
