NV Krug "Grande Cuvée" 163 Ème Édition Brut Champagne

An impression of softness rather than the compact angularity I associate with this year in Champagne. Yet there are quite lovely citric intruding details in the wine, and a pithy, chalk-silk tension. And there’s a buttery undertow adding gravitas. But all this resolves on the back palate into something sleek and more compact with great length. A sense that 2007 is transcended here by the relatively high proportion of fine, firm and fruity Meunier and the 12 different years that contribute to the modest fraction of reserve wines going back to 1990. Delightful, and this bottle being disgorged in the winter of 2019 promises much for the next five to 10 years. Main harvest: 2007. 27% reserves. Aged on lees for over 10 years. Disgorged: Late 2019. (TH)

The NV Grand Cuvée 163 Edition is wonderfully open-knit and giving, qualities that make it a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next 30 or so years. Pastry, apricot, lemon confit, chamomile and white flowers, along with soft contours, give the wine its inviting, alluring personality. There is more than enough energy and overall freshness to support several decades of fine drinking. Even so, the 163 is virtually impossible to resist at this early stage. (AG)