Krug, "Grande Cuvee" 170eme Edition Brut Champagne

96 points Decanter
"A lovely ferny nose and breezy seaside raciness. Bright yellow fruit on entry, a flicker of preserved lemon and cooked quince adding vibrancy. Then comes the Krug richness which spreads over the palate. The balance hovers tantalisingly between tactile precision and soft warm fruit and the finish reveals layers of cinnamon-tinctured blancmange, and the creaminess goes on. Rich but light on its feet. A definite buy and a keeper. The 2014 base harvest was hit by sour rot and mildew in mid-summer. Intense selection meant Krug had to reduce the amount of Meunier to half its Grande Cuvée average, and reserve wines (representing 45% of the final wine) back to 1998 buttress the balance and complexity; a triumph of blending. It also relies heavily on 2013 to add life and structure. Main harvest: 2014. 45% reserves. Aged for six years on lees. Disgorged: Spring 2021."

96 points James Suckling
"Wonderful precision and depth right away on the nose, with dried pineapple, light apricot and hints of flint and slate. Medium-bodied palate that’s firm, bright and linear. Vivid,driven acidity adds focus and perfection. Dried lemon and a wonderful, creamy texture with a mineral undertone. Extremely long, almost endless. Sophistication here."

96 points Wine Enthusiast
"The numbering indicates this is the 170th blending of this Champagne. This iteration has a fine poise—it’s mature and toasty on the one hand and offers rich fruit on the other. It is a finely balanced wine that is ripe and full in the mouth. Drink this beautiful wine now."

95 points Wine Advocate
"Krug's NV Grande Cuvée 170ème Édition is based on the 2014 vintage, complemented by some 45% reserve wines dating back to 1998, with the house drawing on, among many others, 2013 for structure and 2012 and 2003 for generosity. Opening in the glass with aromas of pastry cream, dried fruits, pear, warm spices, freshly baked bread and vanilla pod, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and fine-boned, with excellent concentration, racy acids and a precise, chiseled profile. But if the latter adjective could be applied to the 2013-base 169ème édition equally felicitously, the 2014-base 170ème is more giving and less tightly wound out of the gates and will offer more demonstrative drinking young."

95 points Wine Spectator
"A lovely, mouthwatering Champagne, with a vivid and finely detailed panoply of baked nectarine, lime blossom, ground coffee, mandarin orange peel, candied ginger and salted almond notes set in a lithe, limber frame. Seamlessly knit, with a sense of buoyant vitality, this has a harmonious, elegant frame for the richly expressive flavor range. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier."

Jancis Robinson
"ID 221031 – released in the UK at the end of May 2022. 195 ingredients in the blend, more than usual, with wines from 12 different years back to 1998. Recreated round the 2014 harvest, which constitutes 55% of the blend. 51% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay, 11% Pinot Meunier. Dry and hot alternated with rainy periods. Marvellous flowering. Drosophilia attack – smelt vinegar in the vineyard. But post sorting there were some good grapes. Main problem was a lack of structure so they leant heavily on 2013 (cold, late harvest with lots of freshness and structure).
Lots of acidity! Extremely lively and brisk. But it’s actually readier than most young Grandes Cuvées I have tasted at this relatively early stage with sumptuous texture actually. Very clean and fresh. Bone dry but broachable and quite charming within the Krug ethos. Really quite friendly. One of my favourites of this line-up! 18/20 points."