Most Champagne houses make a non-vintage Champagne to achieve consistency.
Krug Grande Cuvée exists because Joseph Krug thought that wasn't ambitious enough.
Founded in Reims in 1843, Maison Krug was built around Joseph Krug's vision of creating the best Champagne he could offer every year, regardless of the variations of a single vintage. Krug Grande Cuvée remains the ultimate expression of that philosophy.
Rather than relying predominantly on one harvest, each new Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée is assembled from at least 120 individual wines spanning more than 10 different years, drawing extensively on the Maison's extraordinary library of reserve wines. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier all play their part, with the precise composition changing from one Édition to the next.
Once the final blend has been assembled, patience takes over. Each Édition rests for at least seven years in Krug's cellars before release, allowing the enormous collection of individual wines to integrate and develop the depth, texture and complexity for which Grande Cuvée is famous. Krug says that, when the reserve wines and maturation are considered, creating a new Édition takes more than 20 years.
The result is wonderfully layered: citrus and ripe orchard fruit meet dried fruit, flowers and candied peel before moving into the unmistakably Krug territory of hazelnut, brioche, marzipan, gingerbread, nougat and honey.
It's rich without becoming heavy, mature without losing freshness and complex enough to change continually in the glass.
Calling it "non-vintage Champagne" is technically understandable.
It also feels a bit like calling a Rolls-Royce "transport".
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Light golden yellow with exceptional clarity and a fine, lively stream of persistent bubbles.
Nose: Intensely layered and expressive. White flowers, ripe orchard fruit and citrus are joined by dried fruit, candied peel, marzipan and gingerbread. With time in the glass, deeper notes of toasted nuts, brioche and honey begin to emerge.
Palate: Rich, broad and beautifully energetic. Hazelnut, almond and nougat sit alongside citrus, ripe fruit and subtle candied notes. Brioche and honey add richness, while vibrant acidity and an exceptionally fine mousse maintain freshness and precision.
Finish: Long, complex and persistent, with toasted nuts, citrus, pastry, honey and gentle spice lingering well after the wine has left the palate.
Technical Details
Producer: Maison Krug
Origin: Reims, Champagne, France
Appellation: Champagne AOC
Cuvée: Krug Grande Cuvée
Style: Multi-Vintage Prestige Champagne
Grape Varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay & Meunier
Blend: Typically 120+ Individual Wines
Vintages: More Than 10 Different Years
Cellar Maturation: Minimum 7 Years
ABV: 12%
Bottle Size: 750ml
Presentation: Gift Box
Each Krug Grande Cuvée is released as a numbered Édition. The exact blend, number of wines, reserve-wine proportion and vintages therefore depend on the specific bottle.
Food Pairing
Krug Grande Cuvée is a genuinely gastronomic Champagne.
The Maison suggests everything from oysters and grilled prawns to Jabugo ham, mature Comté and even Indian or Moroccan cuisine. Richer dishes such as turbot with truffle are equally at home alongside it.
It's also worth serving slightly warmer than you might serve an ordinary bottle of bubbles. Krug recommends 9–12°C, allowing the Champagne's enormous aromatic complexity to show itself properly.
Why It's Worth a Look
The fascinating thing about Grande Cuvée is that Krug could simply make an excellent vintage Champagne in good years. Instead, they deliberately make life considerably more difficult for themselves.
Every year, individual wines from different vineyard plots are evaluated separately before being combined with reserve wines stretching back across numerous vintages. Each Édition therefore becomes a huge blending exercise designed to achieve something that a single harvest simply couldn't provide.
And that's the point.
Krug Grande Cuvée isn't trying to express one particular year. It's attempting to create the fullest possible expression of Champagne, using time and blending as additional ingredients.
The resulting combination of freshness, mature complexity, richness and precision explains why Grande Cuvée occupies such an unusual position in Champagne: it may technically be multi-vintage, but it comfortably sits alongside the world's great prestige cuvées.
Over 120 wines. More than 10 vintages. At least seven years in the cellar. More than two decades involved in creating each Édition.
Delivery within South Africa:
All orders are delivered from our central warehouse located in Montague Gardens, Western Cape. Local orders are usually delivered in 0-2 working days. Orders outside of Cape Town but within SA are generally delivered within 2-5 working days. If you require expedited delivery, we now offer an Express delivery service, which typically takes 1-3 working days, depending on your area.
While we strive for timely deliveries, there are occasional instances where delays may occur. These are rare but can happen due to unforeseen circumstances.
Delivery Rates:
At checkout, you will be presented with delivery options and corresponding rates. These rates are provided directly by our courier partners and are displayed as is. On rare occasions, a courier may generate an incorrect delivery rate due to issues with the address recognition. In such cases, we will arrange for an alternative courier to deliver your order at a similar rate to the original cost.
We believe in offering transparency in our delivery fees and, as such, do not include any delivery costs in our product pricing. We do not profit from delivery fees.
Third-Party Couriers:
For the majority of our orders, we rely on third-party courier services for delivery. Regular notifications will be sent and on the day of delivery the couriers will notify you via sms, call or email . If the courier is unable to reach you, we will get in touch with you to arrange an alternative solution.
Please note, you will be required to sign upon delivery, and the drivers may request a form of identification.
If there is something wrong with your product, we will gladly issue a full refund of 100% of your purchase amount. To process this, please reach out to us at info@mothercityliquor.co.za as soon as possible, and we will guide you through the refund process.
Order Cancellations:
If you need to cancel your order, simply email us at info@mothercityliquor.co.za, and we’ll assist you with the cancellation process. Please note, cancellations will incur a small fee of 10%, which covers the transaction fees we incur for processing each order. If your order has already been shipped, please be aware that the shipping fee is non-refundable.
Consignment Orders:
We do not offer consignment stock or consignment deals.
Returns:
If you find that there is an issue with your product, you are eligible to return it to us. Here’s how you can initiate the return:
- Email us at info@mothercityliquor.co.za to notify us of your intent to return the product. We will then guide you through the process.
- Our returns policy is valid for 7 working days from the date of delivery. Unfortunately, if 7 working days have passed since the delivery of your purchase, we cannot offer a refund or exchange.
- To be eligible for a return, the item must be unused and in the same condition as when you received it. It must also be in its original packaging. A 10% Fee will be charged on returns, unless the product was damaged or incorrectly supplied by Mothercity Liquor.
Return Shipping & Delivery Fees
Please note that original shipping or delivery fees are non-refundable. Where a refund is approved, the refund will apply to the eligible returned product(s) only and will exclude any shipping or delivery charges paid on the original order.
Unless the return is due to an incorrect, damaged, or defective product supplied by Mothercity Liquor, the cost of returning the product(s) to us is the responsibility of the customer. Customers are responsible for arranging and paying for return shipping and for ensuring that the products are securely packaged to prevent damage in transit.
We strongly recommend using a trackable and insured courier service when returning products. Mothercity Liquor cannot be held responsible for returned goods that are lost or damaged while in transit to us.
Where Mothercity Liquor supplied an incorrect, damaged, or defective product, we will arrange or cover the reasonable cost of returning the affected product, subject to the terms of our Returns Policy.
Exceptions to Returns:
Sale or Special Offer Items: Only regular-priced items are eligible for a refund. Unfortunately, items purchased on sale or as part of a special offer cannot be refunded.
Subscription Terms & Conditions:
- By purchasing a Subscription, you agree to recurring automatic payments based on your selected delivery frequency (monthly, every 2 months or every 3 months etc).
- Your subscription will automatically renew and your payment method will be charged on the same calendar day as your original purchase until your subscription is cancelled.
- Minimum Commitment: Subscription pricing includes a discounted rate and therefore requires a minimum commitment of two (2) deliveries. Cancellation requests will only be accepted after your second subscription box has been successfully delivered.
- Cancellation requests must be submitted before your next billing date. If your payment has already been processed, that month's subscription will still be fulfilled and dispatched.
- Subscription payments are non-refundable once they have been successfully processed, except where required by applicable South African consumer protection laws.
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