Krug Grande Cuvee 172eme Edition 禮盒《ZTF305_BOX》

Krug 庫克香檳被稱為香檳界的勞斯萊斯，無論是基本的 Grande Cuvee 還是最頂級的 Clos d’Ambonnay 都是品質和奢華的代表。在 1843 年由本名叫做 Johann-Joseph Krug 的德國人所創立，之後為了融入法國而拿掉中間的 Johann，改名為 Joseph Krug。 最初 Joseph 先在當時的大莊 Jacquesson 工作，很快就成為了合夥人。

但之後跟 Jacquesson 有意見分歧，當時的顧客因為香檳不穩定的質素而開始失去信心，因此 Joseph Krug 認為應該釀造更穩定更好品質的香檳回饋顧客，但得到的只是＂不要浪費時間，年份決定質素＂的冷冷回應。所以 Joseph Krug 之後就決心跳出來釀造自己心目中的香檳～為之後的釀造理念奠定了基礎。

Krug 現在是 LVMH 集團旗下，和 Dom Perignon 香檳王一樣，但跟集團其他品牌不同的是，Krug 仍然是由酒莊本身的家族自行管理和決策，現時由第六代的 Olivier Krug 掌舵。

Krug 的一大特點是龐大的基酒量，提供極其穩定而且高質的混釀選擇。葡萄園劃分成超過 250 個區域，而每個區域的葡萄都會分開釀造，以為混釀提供特定風格的基酒，全部分開存放，一直保持著高達 200 款十多個年份的基酒存放在不同的容器內，而無年份的經典酒款 Grande Cuvee 每年使用的 reserve wine 高達約 45%，令 Krug 出品能維持很高的穩定性、風格和質素。

另一個特點就是 Krug 一直都是用 205L 的香檳木桶進行第一次發酵，一共有大概 4000 個，都會用上平均桶齡 25 年的舊桶，最老的木桶甚至從 1964 年用起，就是為了等酒液能夠透過木桶的小孔和氧氣接觸，加強複雜度和結構，令其更穩定，陳年能力更高，但又不會有過多的木桶氣息和單寧。

Wine Enthusiast 98 pts

This is most recent bottling of this iconic Champagne. There is a touch of toast as well as enticing apple and citrus aromas. On the palate, this wine is rich, intense, poised between maturity and ripe white fruits. It is a beautifully balanced wine, ready to drink. 

Decanter 97 pts

The 172ème édition, based around the 2016 vintage, is a delicate, floral and saline Grande Cuvée at this early stage in its life. The palate it taut, tightly wound, gradually unfurling into toasted fruit bread, rye bread and roasted nuts, wrapped around an intricate and taut lemon core. It's exceptionally long, spicy, rounded and spherical in shape. Notes of sweet unsalted butter round out the finish, which has such length, elegance and balance. 58% of the wine is from the 2016 vintage, which saw a lot of rain in the spring and close to flowering, with 42% from reserve wines. The blend is made up of 146 separately vinified wines from 11 different years, and the oldest wine in the blend is from the 1998 vintage.

James Suckling 97 pts

Beautiful notes of dried citrus fruit, lemon curd and dried apples with hints of spices, dried flowers and subtle brioche. I like the polished and caressing texture and steady, refreshing acidity. It’s fresh and even austere, with notes of ground spices. So vertical and firm. Structured and long.