The Creations of 2013
Maison Krug is delighted to present this limited-edition case comprising two expressions of nature, crafted around the harvest of 2013.
At Maison Krug, each vintage champagne captures the singular essence of the year: a story of the exceptional circumstances that shaped it. The cool temperatures, rain, and autumnal harvest of 2013 left their imprint on the wines, revealing the full aromatic spectrum of citrus. The Krug Tasting Committee nicknamed this vintage "Exalted Citrus".
Each year, a new Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée honours the vision of Joseph Krug to offer the most generous expression of champagne, regardless of climatic variations. Krug Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition is a harmonious composition of 146 plots’ wines spanning 11 years, the youngest being from 2013 and the oldest from 2000.
This tasting experience is called “The Creations of 2013”.
THE YEAR 2013
The year was defined by a contrasting climate and an exceptionally late harvest, recalling the northern character of the Champagne region.
A cool and rainy spring postponed flowering until the beginning of July, a delay of almost three weeks.
The clement summer brought warmth, dry conditions and sunshine, which allowed for gradual and harmonious grape maturation. The autumnal harvest began on September 25 for Krug, at the Clos du Mesnil vineyard, three days before the official start in Champagne. The initial picking conditions, cool but dry, were particularly beneficial for the earliest plots to ripen, primarily chardonnays and pinot noirs from the south.
Nevertheless, the end of the harvest proved complex, with the return of rain and cold until its completion on October 16. This resulted in notable heterogeneity and wines with an austere quality, which particularly impacted the year’s pinot noirs from the north and meuniers.
The chardonnays, revealed by the circumstances of the year, expressed their full aromatic potential around citrus, exhibiting fresh, vibrant, precise, and elegant notes. The Maison’s historic plots, including Ambonnay and the south of the Montagne de Reims, particularly highlighted the long, forthright structure of the pinot noirs. Lastly, the meuniers brought remarkable tension and linearity to the final blend.
KRUG 2013
The expression of the year, revealed by Krug
Every Krug Vintage is the expression crafted to celebrate the distinctive character of a particular year.
Chardonnay defines the aromatic expression of Krug 2013, a medley of citrus notes, with plots of pinot noir and meunier selected to amplify and reveal the purity of its character. Krug 2013 is the tangy expression of a cool, rainy year and its autumnal harvest. The Tasting Committee decided to nickname this champagne “Exalted Citrus”.
On the nose, Krug 2013 opens with lemon and bitter orange notes that give way to aromas of candied citrus, toasted almonds, and honey. On the palate, Krug 2013 is direct and precise, dominated by the freshness of citrus in all its forms. Carried by notes of lemon, blood orange, grapefruit and tangerine, its ample structure and mouthfeel unfold with remarkable intensity and length.
Krug Grande Cuvée 169ème édition
The most generous expression of champagne composed around the harvest of 2013.
The Édition number of Krug Grande Cuvée indicates the number of times in the history of the Maison the dream of Joseph Krug has been recreated.
Crafted around the harvest 2013, Krug Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition is a blend of 146 wines from 11 different years, the youngest from 2013 and the oldest from 2000. Blending so many different wines from different years lends a generosity of flavours and aromas that would otherwise be impossible to express with the wines of just one year. Krug Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition reveals generous notes of hazelnut, nougat, barley sugar, jellied and citrus fruits, almonds, brioche, and honey.
A very limited number of bottles of Krug Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition were kept waiting in Krug’s cellars. In total, over twenty years of careful craftsmanship have been necessary to enjoy this Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée, the 169th recreation of the most generous expression of Champagne.
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