Krug Grande Cuvee 173 eme Gift Box, Champagne

Extremely complex, showing dried apples, light caramel, brioche and flint with cedar, nuts and hints of gunmetal. Integrated, caressing bubbles. Medium-bodied with a laser-guided, compacted and extremely long palate that focuses the character and the flavors. So deep and polished. Tangy at the end. Drink or hold.

97 points jamessuckling.com

Krug’s recently unveiled NV Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition—accounting for approximately 80% of the house’s total production—performs well, particularly considering the challenges of the base vintage, 2017. That year saw considerable rot pressure in red varieties, making meticulous sorting essential; some lots deemed unfit for Krug’s standards were even diverted to distillation. The conceptual cornerstone of the Grande Cuvée is the use of the house’s vast library—drawing from some 500 options—to complement the base vintage and moderate the extremes of any given growing season. The 173ème Édition comprises 150 wines across 13 vintages, with the 2017 base making up 69% of the final assemblage. Disgorged in January 2024 with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter, it opens with aromas of pear, golden apple, lemon curd and early white blossoms interlaced with a distant hint of nutmeg. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, textural and charming, laden with tangy acidity and animated by a pillowy mousse, and it concludes with a long, saline finish. Compared with its immediate predecessor, the 173ème Édition is broader and more giving, while the 172ème Édition tauter and more incisive. As experienced Krug aficionados will recognize, the inclusion of reserve wines—which may have undergone malolactic fermentation—renders the Grande Cuvée more immediately approachable than the house’s vintage-dated Champagnes, offering a more generous drinking experience on release.

94 points robertparker.com

The NV Champagne Grande Cuvee 173eme Edition is bright and mineral-driven, crafted around the 2017 vintage with 150 wines from 13 vintages back to 2001. It offers notes of wet stones, custard, lemon rind, honeycomb, white peach, and citrus blossom. Full-bodied, it has power and finesse, with mineral texture and a long-lasting finish. It has fantastic spice as well in this edition, and it has excellent underlying acidity and tension with a great savory finish. Olivier Krug commented on the warm weather of 2017, noting that they were keen to pick on the early side in this vintage and were finished with their harvest when many others had just begun. Disgorged in early 2024.

95 points jebdunnuck.com

Krug Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition is a masterpiece of blending, embodying the philosophy that Joseph Krug set down in his famous notebook in 1848: to craft the most generous expression of Champagne every year, beyond the limitations of a single vintage. The 173ème Édition is based on the 2017 harvest, a year that saw a challenging growing season with frost, hail, and a warm summer, but ultimately delivered beautifully expressive base wines. To achieve the depth and complexity for which Krug is renowned, the cellar team blended wines from 38 different years, spanning 2000 to 2017, to create a cuvée of extraordinary nuance and harmony.

In the glass, it shines a luminous deep gold with a fine, persistent bead and a creamy, elegant mousse. The nose is captivating, opening with notes of freshly baked brioche, hazelnuts, toasted almonds, citrus peel, quince, apple tart, and hints of honey, dried flowers, and chalky minerality. On the palate, it is layered and powerful yet perfectly balanced, with ripe orchard fruits, citrus oil, marzipan, and spice carried on a silky, almost weightless texture. There’s the signature Krug richness and creaminess, framed by vibrant acidity and a long, resonant finish with a subtle saline edge.

The 173ème Édition is composed of 45% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay, and 18% Meunier. Reserve wines make up 40% of the blend, with the oldest dating back to 2000, contributing depth and complexity that no single vintage can achieve. The base wines from 2017 bring freshness and energy, while the multi-vintage layering gives the cuvée its hallmark richness and aromatic intricacy. After blending, the wine spent around seven years in the cellars before release, allowing time for the components to knit together seamlessly.

Food pairings should match its depth and versatility. Think roasted lobster with beurre blanc, truffled chicken, parmesan gougères, mushroom risotto, duck with orange glaze, or mature cheeses like aged Comté or Gruyère. Krug’s power and precision also make it brilliant alongside Japanese dishes like tempura or wagyu tataki, where the wine’s layers mirror the intricacy of the food. Cellar potential is exceptional—15 to 20 years easily—during which it will develop honeyed, nutty, and tertiary nuances while maintaining its lively structure.

Krug Grande Cuvée is not tied to vintages but to the house’s vision: each Edition is numbered to celebrate its individuality, and the 173ème continues this tradition brilliantly. Production is limited, and allocations are highly sought after by collectors and fine dining programs around the world.

Culturally, Krug stands apart in Champagne. The house ages its reserve wines in small stainless steel vats to preserve their character, treats each parcel as a separate ingredient, and blends hundreds of wines with the precision of a perfumer. This singular approach gives Grande Cuvée its unmatched depth and identity.

Krug’s reserve wines are stored like precious ingredients—each vineyard plot is vinified separately and tasted individually before blending. Some wines in this 173ème Édition date back to 2000, giving the cuvée a complexity no single vintage can match.