Wine Review: THE Non-Vintage Brut—The Krug Grand Cuvee

Wine Review: THE Non-Vintage Brut—The Krug Grand Cuvee

By Codey Foster

The first time I recall hearing about Krug Champagne was in my junior year of high school when Jay-Z announced that he would boycott Louis Roederer’s Cristal as a result of the supposedly racist remarks made by Louis Roederer’s managing director Frederic Rouzaud—as published in The Economist earlier that year. What was said, or who was throwing stones didn’t concern me, at the time—but the elixirs that the hip hop community and its following would adopt in replacement were a different story. Jay’s nominees? Dom Perignon and Krug.

Cristal is good stuff. There’s no doubt about it. But from what I’ve experienced, Dom Perignon and Krug seem to come in at just about the same (or even higher) caliber for substantially less money. So coming off an 18-day alcohol cleanse, I couldn’t help but treat myself and my family to a bottle of the non-vintage Krug Brut Grande Cuvee—a wine that I generally consider to be the most balanced Champagne in the world.

As it turns out the Grande Cuvee makes up just about 75% of Krug’s annual production with about 75,000 bottles made every year. Most blends constitute 45-50% Pinot Noir, 10-15% Pinot Meunier, and 35-45% Chardonnay. Rumor has it that over 150 base wines come together to make this non-vintage blend and complexity is the grand result. My brother was keen to point out that we might have purchased a keg for the same price but at just about $1 per base wine, I feel Krug’s price is high, but not overly exorbitant.

In the glass, the Grand Cuvee showed a light straw hue with a rich, persistent mousse.

On the nose it is full of vibrant baking spice, crisp red and green apple, and delicate yeasty whispers followed by a full and sophisticated toastiniess.

It is on the palate that Krug really shines. Its searing green apple acidity is brilliantly counterpointed by rich allspice berry qualities and a creamy texture that is anything but an over-eager bombardment of bubbles. Its effervescence is lively but refined and cohesive. This is a wine of tremendous balance and execution. Its sweet fruit points hit the palate in all the right places and its acidity and savory complexity fill in the gaps for a truly cerebral Champagne experience.

As far as food pairings, well, I’ll be the first to admit that it doesn’t take a sommelier to pair the Grand Cuvee. This is the kind of wine that is versatile, inviting, and will hold its own beside many preparations that other wines will not. From oysters to popcorn to unusual preparations of deep fried fruit—you’ve got your bases covered. My dad and I opted for ultra-crisped lobster/crab/shrimp/scallop cakes and the marriage was seamless. The varying and stimulating mouth feel of each shelfish/crustation made for a pairing that worked on both a textural and flavor-oriented level. The toasty crispiness of the cakes harmonized so flawlessly with that of the wine and an array of textures from both the food and the wine completed the experience. 

750 ml--$169.99 at Ancona's Wines