Krug : Grande Cuvée 164ème Édition

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. Disgorged spring 2016. Drink now through 2027.

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 around 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! (JR)

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. Krug ID: 316031. (Originally published in May 2021)

Light golden yellow, silver shimmers, vibrant, fine mousse. Freshly scented white apple notes, floral nuances, a hint of fine yellow tropical fruit, underlaid by subtle brioche nuances, pleasant smoky minerality, hints of citrus zest, very multi-faceted, fresh, alluring bouquet. Taut on the palate, pleasantly expressive, nuances of stone fruit and almonds, coruscatingly refined acidity, harmonious interplay of ripe fruit and vivid structure on the finish, mineral-saline reverberations, great length, possesses enormous charm and assured ageing potential, already very alluring. ID. 316031 Tasted by Peter Moser on 21.4.2021

A beautiful evolution on notes of toasted cereals, toasted bread, and dried fruits; the nose is deep with a mineral dimension. The wine’s profile remains very typical of 2008, with lovely precision that contrasts with the power of the black grapes. It’s a well-balanced wine, with a creamy, caressing mousse and a bright acidity that brings length.