Krug Grande Cuvee 173eme Edition Champagne

Since their inception in 1843, Krug Grande Cuvée has been their signature wine, and the most important wine they produce each year. Crafting Grande Cuvée only once a year, Krug now distinguish each release numerically, and provide great insight into the detailed composition via their Krug iD site. While these Edition wines are non-vintage, Krug prefers to call them multi-vintage given they use a large proportion of reserve wines in the blend, normally over 120 base wines spanning 10+ vintages. The 173eme Edition is a staggering blend of 150 wines from 13 vintages back to 2001, with the base wine hailing from the 2017 vintage. The varietal mix of the final blend is 44% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay and 22% Pinot Meunier. Reserve wines make up 31% of the final blend.

The NV Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition, based on the 2017 vintage, is every bit 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. Drink 2025-2045.
95 Points
Antonio Galloni – Vinous

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. Drink 2027-2040.
94+ Points
Kristaps Karklins – Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate

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. Disgorged winter 2023–2024 (Krug ID 124003). Drink now through 2040.
96 Points
Wine Spectator