Krug Champagne

Discover Champagne Krug

The only Champagne house to produce only prestige cuvees since it was founded in 1843. Krug follows no common rules, neither the vintage, nor market codes, nor the logic of volume. Its founder, Joseph Krug dreamed of creating the best champagne possible every year, regardless of annual climatic variations, by founding a house where all champagnes would be of the same level of distinction. A dream that still guides every bottle produced in Reims today.

The House of Krug

Johann-Joseph Krug was born in Mainz in 1800 and moved to France where, in 1834, he joined the Maison Jacquesson in Châlons-sur-Marne, first as an accountant and then as a taster. In 1843, after eight years with this great Champagne house, he founded Maison Krug & Cie in Reims with his partner Hippolyte de Vives.

The founding principles of the house: select only the best elements of the terroirs, never compromise, and create each year the most generous expression of champagne. Joseph Krug built up an extensive library of reserve wines respecting the character of each individual parcel, and thus created the very first champagne house to produce only prestige cuvées. The house, first acquired by Rémy Cointreau in the 1970s, was bought by the LVMH group in 1999. Six generations of the Krug family have perpetuated this vision, and today Olivier Krug, the sixth generation, runs the house.

Terroir and style of Krug champagne

One of the main techniques used is vinification under wood in small 205-liter barrels made from Argonne forest oak, on average thirty-five years old, maintained by the company's coopers and reused year after year. Far from imparting a woody taste, this technique aims to enhance aromatic precision and finesse, thanks to the micro-oxygenation provided by the wood. In the months following the harvest, the Tasting Committee records some 5,000 tasting notes on almost 400 wines from over ten different vintages, before Julie Cavil, Cellar Manager, applies the art of blending. The reserve wine library includes almost 150 wines from ten different years, some as old as 15 years.

Krug cuvées

Krug Grande Cuvée

The founding cuvée, the absolute signature of the House. The blending of over 120 distinct wines from more than ten different years gives Grande Cuvée a richness of aromas and flavors impossible to express with the wines of a single year. Resting for around seven years in the cellar gives it its distinctive expression and elegance. Each edition is numbered to reflect the number of times this creative act has been performed since 1845.

Krug Rosé

In 1976, brothers Rémi and Henri Krug conceived a rosé champagne inspired by the house's emblematic art of blending, which could be recreated every year. Elegant and daring, it combines aromas of red fruits, sweet spices and honey in a structure of great delicacy. Also aged for five years in the cellar before release, it is marketed as a prestige cuvée in its own right. Each edition is also numbered.

Krug Millésimé

Krug believes that each Krug Millésime expresses the unique character of a particular year. A Krug Millésime brings together the most expressive wines of a single year, enhanced by over ten years' cellar ageing. It represents only the best harvests, judged worthy of expression on their own.

Krug Clos du Mesnil

In the early 1970s, brothers Rémi and Henri Krug acquired an enclosed vineyard in Mesnil-sur-Oger, renowned for the exceptional quality of its Chardonnay. The first Krug Clos du Mesnil was produced from the 1979 harvest. From a 1.84-hectare plot in the heart of Mesnil-sur-Oger, this Blanc de Blancs of absolute purity and tension is produced in just a few thousand bottles a year.

Krug Clos d'Ambonnay

Blanc de Noirs from a plot of Pinot Noir in Ambonnay, acquired in 1994, this champagne is produced in even smaller quantities than Clos du Mesnil, between 200 and 300 cases per vintage. The first vintage, 1995, was released in 2007. It is one of the rarest and most coveted cuvées in the world, reserved for the greatest connoisseurs and collectors.

Did you know?

In 2010, the descendants of the Krug family rediscovered the little cherry notebook written by Johann-Joseph Krug, detailing how to make an exceptional champagne every year, regardless of the vagaries of the weather. This notebook, written in 1848, has become Champagne's most precious manifesto, and proof that a vision held over six generations can make a lasting difference to the history of a wine. In 2024, Krug's new winemaking site in Ambonnay was named Joseph in homage to the house's founder.