Retail Team | February 13, 2024
In 1848, Joseph Krug opened a red leather notebook and sketched out his vision for what would become one of Champagne’s most iconic properties:
Champagne No. 1 – a blended cuvée of various years and parcels, or what is now called Krug Grande Cuvée, and Champagne No. 2 – an expression of a single year, crafted only in the best vintages, now known as Krug Vintage.
Today, Sotheby’s is pleased to share three outstanding Krug Vintage releases that represent some of the house’s finest efforts in the last three decades.
The prestige of Krug Vintage has helped propel Krug to become “Champagne’s greatest house,” in the words of Wine Advocate critic William Kelley. All wines are vinified by parcel and fermented in aged oak barrels for three months before they are transferred to stainless steel tanks.
In assembling the vintage cuvées, a team led by cellar master Julie Cavil selects the most expressive wines from the year to fashion a wholly unique release reflecting the cadences of the season. Internally, each cuvée is nicknamed according to its personality. The 2008, from a cool year of elegance, became known as “Classic Beauty,” while the 1998 – the second of all Krug vintages to be Chardonnay-dominant – earned the title “Hommage au Chardonnay.”
After selection, the cuvée is aged ten years where it gathers in intensity and complexity while also acquiring the quintessential Krug character: bold, powerful, and opulent.
