NV Krug "Grande Cuvée" 161 & 164 Ème Édition Brut Champagne Horizontal

“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. (CC)” (06/2022)

“A richness and intensity with pie crust, bread dough and toast with lots of dried fruits. Almost nutty, like buttered nuts. It's full and layered. A little heavy now but more for the table.” (08/2023)

“The beautiful release of Krug’s “164ème Édition” is based on the superb vintage of 2008 and has been my favorite recent iteration of Grande Cuvée since I first tasted it in 2017. The wine’s cépages in this release ended up being forty-eight percent pinot noir, thirty-five percent chardonnay and eighteen percent pinot meunier, with reserve wines used in the blend stretching all the way back to 1990. Out of magnum, the wine is still a tad on the young side for my personal tastes and deserves a bit longer in the cellar. However, that does not mean it is not drinking beautifully, offering up scents of apple, pear, caraway seed, almond, a touch of passion fruit, fresh-baked bread, a superb base of chalky minerality and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and zesty, with lovely depth at the core, fine mineral undertow, impeccable balance and grip, refined mousse and a long, complex and beautifully precise finish.” (03/2024)

“A tightly wound and austere Grande Cuvée, the base vintage shouts loudest (reserve wines add subtle depth and interest, but the effects are subtle at this early stage). A lovely finesse of oak, the wood is harmoniously integrated adding a light dusting of vanilla to the ensemble. The palate possesses amazing density and promises massive complexity far into the future. A stunning edition of Grande Cuvée that you really ought to seek out. *Five Stars* (SP)” (11/2019)

“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. (AG)” (08/2021)

“Harmonious and supple, the NV Champagne Grande Cuvée 164 spans the vintages of 1998 through 2008 and has all the components of a truly great Grand Cuvée. Opening in the glass to notes of preserved Meyer lemon, white peach, almond croissant, and incense, on the palate the wine is custardy and rounded, with a gorgeous pillowy mousse. Full-bodied and long, all its structure works in concert, with nothing sticking out, and it has a flourish of white pepper spice on the finish. This is a truly stunning Champagne. (AF)” (11/2023)

“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. (WK)” (06/2022)

“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. (AN)” (11/2017)

“Full bottle 1,653 g. 48% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 17% Pinot Meunier. 127 ingredients in the blend, with wines from 11 different years back to 1990. Recreated round the 2008 harvest, which constitutes 68% of the blend. 48% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 17% Pinot Meunier. I tried the Krug ID code on the website but there was no response. Definite maturity on the nose but intensely revitalising and layered on the palate. Really vibrant with hints of hazelnut and grapefruit. Real 2008 zest! And it was still going strong more than a week later – admittedly from an opened bottle that was kept at 13 °C. 18/20 points (JR)” (03/2025)

“Pinot Noir 44%, Chardonnay 37% and Pinot Meunier 19%. Base vintage 2005. Reserve wine 32%. 6 years on the lees, disgorged summer 2012, dosage 6 g/l.Pale gold. More evolved than the 162nd edition (there was greater risk of rot in some 2005s). More spicy. Touch of mushroom starting to show. Broad and toasty, cedary, dried fruits. Extremely fresh but a little bit roasted. Broad, deep, not as refined as most of the Grandes Cuvées in this line-up because the ripeness and the high acid are slightly in opposition. 17.5/20 points (JH)” (07/2024)