Champagne Krug

History of Champagne Krug

Born in Mainz in 1800, the son of a butcher, Johann-Joseph Krug left Germany in 1824 for France, where he dropped his first name. After spending time in Paris, he joined the House of Jacquesson in Châlons-sur-Marne. Over eight years, he traveled across Europe, listening to merchants and enthusiasts and learning the art of blending. This experience shaped a singular conviction: the quality of a champagne should not depend on the whims of a single year. In 1843, he founded his own house in Reims and set down the principle of two cuvées in a cherry-red leather notebook: Cuvée No. 1, the best possible composition each year, and Cuvée No. 2, a reflection of the character of a particular vintage. These two ideas became Krug Grande Cuvée and Krug Millésime.

His son Paul Krug succeeded him and established the House permanently at 5 rue Coquebert in Reims in 1868, above its historic cellars and reserve wine library. Its reputation grew from the 1880s onward. In the 20th century, the fifth generation marked a decisive turning point: Rémi and Henri Krug took the reins in 1976 and created Krug Rosé, unveiled in 1983 after seven years of research, followed by Krug Clos du Mesnil, revealed in 1979, and finally Krug Clos d'Ambonnay, whose plot was identified in 1991 and acquired in 1994. The House joined the LVMH group in 1999, and Olivier Krug has since represented the sixth generation. The mid-2010s brought two major innovations for enthusiasts: Krug iD, a code on the back of each bottle that lets them trace its history, and the numbering of Krug Grande Cuvée Editions. In 2024, the House opened Joseph, a new eco-designed winemaking facility in the heart of Ambonnay, beginning a new chapter in its history.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Champagne Krug

Krug thinks in terms of plots rather than crus. The House owns around twenty hectares of vineyards, notably in Aÿ, Mesnil-sur-Oger, Trépail, and Ambonnay, and sources the rest of its grapes from a network of partner growers bound by very long-term contracts, in some cases spanning several generations. Each plot is harvested, pressed, and vinified separately, because the House believes that the same grape variety develops different nuances from one hillside, soil, or exposure to another. The family compares this plot-by-plot approach to an orchestra in which each vineyard is a musician; it forms the foundation of Krug’s art of blending.

The terroirs drawn upon span the principal areas of Champagne: the Montagne de Reims, with its structured pinot noirs from around Ambonnay, Aÿ, Verzenay, and Mailly; the Côte des Blancs, with its chalky chardonnays from Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, and Avize; and the Vallée de la Marne, where meunier brings fleshy fruit and immediate generosity. The chalk subsoil, which stores water and naturally regulates temperature, gives the wines their recognizable saline tension and mineral precision. Two historic walled vineyards hold a unique place: Clos du Mesnil, a 1.84-hectare chardonnay plot enclosed by walls since 1698 in the heart of the village of Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Clos d'Ambonnay, a tiny 0.68-hectare pinot noir enclosure protected by its walls since 1766 on the southeastern slope of the Montagne de Reims.

Winemaking at Champagne Krug

Krug is the only major Champagne house to ferment all its base wines in small 205-liter oak barrels, notably sourced from the Argonne forest and averaging around 30 years old. The aim is never to impart an oaky flavor, but to allow slow micro-oxygenation that enhances aromatic precision, texture, and aging potential. Each barrel is identified by plot and cru. Only the first-press juice is selected, after natural settling, and the wines spend about three months in barrel before being transferred to stainless steel tanks to continue aging on fine lees.

Next comes the House’s most emblematic step. In the months following the harvest, the Tasting Committee evaluates nearly 400 young and reserve wines, recording around 5,000 tasting notes. The reserve wine library, a true House treasure, holds nearly 150 wines from around ten different years, some more than fifteen years old. From this palette, Julie Cavil composes each new Edition. The champagnes then rest for a very long time on racks in the Reims cellars: at least six to seven years for Krug Grande Cuvée, more than ten years for the vintage wines, and up to around twelve years for the single-plot cuvées. Dosage remains restrained, at around 4 to 6 grams per liter, and each bottle bears a Krug iD that reveals its exact composition and disgorgement date.

The Cuvées of Champagne Krug

Krug Grande Cuvée: the House’s defining wine and the direct realization of Joseph Krug’s dream. It is no ordinary non-vintage brut, but an Edition recreated each year, numbered since the mid-2010s, with the first dating back to the 1845 harvest. Each Edition blends more than 120 wines from around ten different vintages, including a substantial proportion of reserve wines. The 173rd Edition, built around the 2017 harvest, brings together 150 wines from 13 different years, from the youngest in 2017 to the oldest in 2001. With 31% reserve wines, the final blend is 44% pinot noir, 34% chardonnay, and 22% meunier. Brilliant gold in color, it has an expressive nose of toasted brioche, stone fruit, candied citrus, dried fruit, and honey. The palate is full, creamy, and vibrant, carried by a saline, seemingly endless finish. More than twenty years of patience are needed to create a single Edition.

Krug Rosé: conceived by Rémi and Henri Krug in 1976 and unveiled in 1983, this unconventional rosé is also released in successive Editions. It combines the House’s art of blending with red pinot noir wines from specific plots, traditionally macerated on their skins. The 29th Edition, built around the 2017 harvest, blends 29 wines from 5 different years, including 33% reserve wines, for a composition of 53% pinot noir (including 11% red wine), 28% chardonnay, and 19% meunier. The result is a rosé champagne of rare elegance: structured and spicy, with notes of fresh red fruit and citrus, made for fine dining rather than dessert.

Krug Millésime (Krug Vintage): the Cuvée No. 2 envisioned by Joseph Krug, telling the story of a single year through the House’s eyes. It is created only when the character of a vintage deserves to be captured, blending the most expressive wines from that particular harvest without using reserve wines. It always ages for more than ten years in the cellar before release. Each Krug Millésime therefore has its own personality—sometimes taut and saline, sometimes sun-drenched and generous—with the vinosity, density, and length that are hallmarks of the House.

Krug Collection: a second expression of a Krug Millésime as it evolves over time. A limited number of bottles are kept in ideal conditions in the Reims cellars, where they continue to mature for many additional years before a late disgorgement. These rare bottles offer a different perspective on an already familiar vintage, with deeper tertiary aromas of candied fruit, coffee, wax, and truffle, a velvety texture, and a preserved freshness that never fails to surprise tasters.

Krug Clos du Mesnil: unveiled in 1979, this blanc de blancs is made entirely from chardonnay grown on a single 1.84-hectare plot, enclosed by walls since 1698, in the heart of Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs. The microclimate created by the walls and southeastern exposure yields wines that combine the Mesnil’s chalky precision with unexpected richness. Harvested, pressed, and vinified on site, this single-plot vintage champagne spends about three months in barrel, then twelve to fourteen years on lees before disgorgement. The nose offers yellow peach, candied lemon, sourdough, and white flowers; the palate combines chalky purity, tension, and creaminess, with a strikingly precise finish.

Krug Clos d'Ambonnay: the pinot noir counterpart to Clos du Mesnil, and one of the rarest cuvées in Champagne. It is made entirely from pinot noir grown in a walled plot of just 0.68 hectare—one-third the size of Clos du Mesnil—whose walls have protected it since 1766 on the outskirts of Ambonnay. It took Rémi and Henri Krug seven years of research to identify this ideal plot. Produced in minute quantities, this vintage blanc de noirs expresses remarkable sun-drenched intensity: ripe red fruit, sweet spices, smoke, cocoa, and roasted notes, carried by a dense, deep structure and an extraordinarily persistent finish.

Krug Clos d'Ambonnay Rosé: an unprecedented, exceptionally rare expression of the same terroir, this single-plot rosé reveals another facet of the intensity of Clos d'Ambonnay pinot noir. Born of the House’s distinctive expertise in maceration and blending, it combines the power of the cru with aromatic finesse and a silky texture. Produced in extremely limited quantities, it is reserved for collectors and the most discerning enthusiasts.