NV - Krug, Grande Cuvee 167eme Edition

The NV Grande Cuvée 167ème Édition, based on the 2011 vintage, shows just how much can be accomplished in Champagne through the art of the blend. This release includes 191 wines back to 1995 and a relatively low presence (42%) of the base year. But its the whole that counts more than the sum of the parts. In fact, I prefer this wine to the 2011 Vintage. All the elements are so nicely balanced. Citrus, white flowers, mint, white pepper and slate are some of the many notes that build in the glass. Disgorged: Summer 2018. Krug ID: 318036.

Making its debut this year is Krug's NV Grande Cuvée 167ème Édition, a beautiful wine that wafts from the glass with aromas of yellow orchard fruit, peach and waxy citrus rind, complemented by complex notes of freshly baked bread, walnuts and smoke. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and muscular but incisive, with a deep and concentrated core, a pinpoint mousse and a long, complex finish. Built around the 2011 vintage, the wine includes reserve wines dating back to 1995 and was disgorged in the winter of 2017-2018. Readers are advised to give it at least a couple years of bottle age before popping corks.

Pinot Noir 47%, Chardonnay 36% and Pinot Meunier 17%. Base vintage 2011. Reserve wine 42%. Oldest vintage included is 1995. Seven years on lees, disgorged winter 2018. Dosage 6 g/l. Very pale gold. Starting to show a more roasted and honeyed character. Really toasty, grilled nuts. With some sweetness showing on the finish, sweet and sour. Rich and generous. Rounded, deep and endlessly long. Amazing number of layers. You need a whole evening with this and the sweet/acid tightrope is now perfectly in balance. (JH)