Krug Grande Cuvee 164eme Edition Brut Champagne [D99][JS98][JG97][V97][WA96][WS96]

Producer: Krug 
Region: Champagne, France 
Blend: 48% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 17% Pinot Meunier 
Year: Non-Vintage 

Decanter, 99 Points 

"This Grande Cuvée, based on the epic 2008 vintage, surely foreshadows the potential of the vintage wine of the same year. This is superb, with a smoky intensity to the tropical passionfruit and pomelo citrus notes. A depth and complexity of flavour here seldom equalled in Champagne, and a lively energy on the palate carry the wine to a gracefully persistent finish. This exquisite wine is drinking now, but will undoubtedly continue to age. If vintage 2008 has more potential, the Krug Grande Cuvée 164th edition assuredly gives more pleasure now." 

James Suckling, 98 Points 

"Intense and complex, with lots of buttered toast, salted caramel, apricot compote, raspberries, praline, marmalade, white chocolate and preserved lemons. So much packed in the broad, deep and rich palate, yet bound together with sharp acidity and tight bubbles. So long and generous. 48% pinot noir, 35% chardonnay and 17% pinot meunier. Blend of 127 wines from 11 vintages, based on 2008 and going back to 1990." 

John Gilman, 97 Points 

"I have loved the 164ème Édition of Grande Cuvée since its initial release, as this hails from the fine, fine base year of 2008 and it has always seemed like a special wine. However, I had not drunk a bottle of this side by side with other iterations of Grande Cuvée prior to this spring vertical tasting, and having now viewed the wine in the proper context, it seems quite clear that I underrated this wine on previous occasions! Today, the wine is drinking brilliantly, with its gorgeous bouquet soaring from the glass in a blaze of pear, white peach, almond, fresh-baked bread, chalky minerality, apple blossoms and a touch of passion fruit in the upper register. On the palate the wine is pure, deep and complex, with a seamlessly balanced, full-bodied format that sports a great core, laser-like focus, elegant mousse and a very, very long, complex finish of dramatic backend amplitude. The beauty of this wine lies in its perfect, effortless sense of ripeness to its fruit component, which delivers dramatic intensity of flavor without ever overstepping its proper place in the complete mosaic that is Grande Cuvée. Now fourteen years out from the base year, it is quite clear to me that I have never tasted a better rendition of Grande Cuvée!" 

Vinous, 97 Points 

"A stellar Champagne, Krug's NV Grande Cuvée 164ème Édition, (2008 base vintage) is painfully tight. The 164 is a fabulous wine, but readers should not fall into the temptation of opening a bottle anytime soon. Crushed rocks, slate, mint, sage and white pepper lend striking aromatic brightness. The 164 is just as compelling as it has always been. Even so, it needs time to be at its very best. The 164 is a blend based on 2008, with reserve wines back to 1990." 

Wine Advocate, 96 Points 

"Based on the 2008 vintage, Krug's NV Grande Cuvée 164ème Édition is really beginning to drink with some style, bursting from the glass with complex aromas of tangerine oil, crisp yellow apple, dried fruits, buttered toast, iodine and honeycomb, uniting attributes of youth and maturity, all wrapped up in Krug's signature toasty patina. Full-bodied, seamless and concentrated, with a fleshy core of fruit, racy acids and an envelopingly pillowy mousse, it's an intense, sapid wine that is emerging as one of the best "young" renditions of Grande Cuvée for drinking today." 

Wine Spectator, 96 Points 

"A seamless Champagne, with vibrant acidity and flavors of toasted almond, baked currant and golden raisin. Long and mouthwatering, with a finely detailed bead carrying the flavors to the lasting finish, with accents of spice, pastry cream and coffee." 

Alcohol: 12% 

*Discounts do not apply to items like this one in the Fine & Rare category. Price and availability in store may vary.