Krug

Joseph Krug founded Maison Krug in 1843. Jancis Robinson reports that he had worked for Adolphe Jacquesson of the champagne house of that name before resigning to set up his own house. According to the house, his dream was to craft the very best champagne he could offer every year, regardless of annual climate variations, and in 1848 he committed his vision to a personal notebook. In the 1970s Rémi and Henri Krug, the fifth generation of the Krug family, succeeded their father at the head of the house. Olivier Krug, sixth generation of the Krug family, is Director of the House. LVMH acquired Krug from Rémy Cointreau in 1999, as reported by both Wine Spectator and Jancis Robinson. The Krug Family House has stood at 5, rue Coquebert in Reims since 1868; it sits above the historic cellars and reserve wine library and was completely renovated in 2017.

• Founded in 1843 by Joseph Krug, who set out his vision in a personal notebook in 1848
• Rémi and Henri Krug, fifth generation, succeeded their father at the head of the house in the 1970s
• LVMH acquired Krug from Rémy Cointreau in 1999
• Krug Family House at 5, rue Coquebert in Reims since 1868

Krug's approach begins with individuality: the harvest of each plot is pressed and fermented separately to obtain one wine per plot. The wines are fermented in small old oak barrels, which the house describes as neutral; Jancis Robinson calls this individual barrel fermentation a most unusual detail in Champagne. Malolactic fermentation is never provoked, and the wines are then kept on the lees in small stainless-steel tanks until they can be tasted. Every year the Tasting Committee tastes around 400 wines, including 250 wines of the year and 150 reserve wines from around 15 previous years, recording around 5,000 tasting notes before Cellar Master Julie Cavil practices the art of blending. For six months after the harvest the committee meets every morning at 11:00 AM and tastes no more than 15 wines per day. Julie Cavil took on the role of chef de caves at the beginning of 2020, when her predecessor Eric Lebel remained with the house as deputy director. Beyond its own vineyards, Krug works with the Krug Growers' Circle, around a hundred growers from across the Champagne region; the house's oldest active grower contract dates to 1876. In 2024 Krug inaugurated Joseph, a winery at the Clos d'Ambonnay that brings together all of its vinification and creation activities.

• One plot, one wine: each plot fermented separately in small old oak barrels
• Around 400 wines tasted each year, including 150 reserve wines from around 15 previous years
• Julie Cavil chef de caves since the beginning of 2020, succeeding Eric Lebel
• Joseph winery at the Clos d'Ambonnay inaugurated in 2024

Two walled vineyards are emblematic of the house. The Clos du Mesnil, 1.84 hectares in the heart of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, has been protected by walls since 1698. Rémi and Henri Krug secured vineyards in the village, including this plot, in 1971; the first Krug Clos du Mesnil was made from the 1979 harvest and presented for the first time in 1986. The Clos d'Ambonnay, 0.68 hectares on the edge of the village of Ambonnay on the south-eastern slope of the Montagne de Reims, has been surrounded by walls since 1766. After a seven-year quest the brothers discovered it in 1991; the family acquired it in 1994, and the first Krug Clos d'Ambonnay, from 1995, was revealed in 2007. Each is made from a single walled plot, a single grape variety and a single year, and Krug Clos du Mesnil is made only in years when the Tasting Committee judges the climate reveals the purest expression of Chardonnay. Julie Cavil calls Krug Clos d'Ambonnay the rarest Krug Champagne.

• Clos du Mesnil: 1.84 ha, walled since 1698, secured 1971, first harvest 1979, presented 1986
• Clos d'Ambonnay: 0.68 ha, walled since 1766, discovered 1991, acquired 1994, first harvest 1995, revealed 2007
• Krug Clos du Mesnil 2009 is the 21st champagne from its plot; Krug Clos d'Ambonnay 2008 is the seventh from its plot
• Both are single-plot, single-variety, single-year champagnes

Krug Grande Cuvée is always a blend of at least 120 wines from more than 10 different years, the oldest always dating back over a decade, and each new Édition rests in the cellars for at least seven years; the house says it takes more than 20 years to craft a new Édition. The 174ème Édition, composed around the harvest of 2018, is a blend of 143 wines from 10 different years, with reserve wines making up 36% of the blend and a composition of 54% Pinot Noir, 29% Chardonnay and 17% Meunier. Since 2016 each new creation of Krug Grande Cuvée and Krug Rosé carries an Édition number on the front label, and since 2011 every bottle carries a six-digit Krug iD on the back label. Krug Rosé was conceived by Rémi and Henri Krug during the 1976 harvest and first presented in 1983. Krug Vintage tells the story of a single year and is enhanced by a stay of over ten years in the cellars; Krug Collection is a limited number of bottles of Krug Vintage kept back in the cellars and presented later as its second life.

• Krug Grande Cuvée 174ème Édition: 143 wines from 10 different years, composed around the 2018 harvest
• Édition numbers on the label since 2016; Krug iD on the back label since 2011
• Krug Rosé first presented in 1983
• Krug Collection: Krug Vintage kept back and released later as its second life

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.krug.com/en-int, https://www.krug.com/en-int/our-story, https://www.krug.com/en-int/craftsmanship, https://www.krug.com/en-int/craftsmanship/the-art-of-blending, https://www.krug.com/en-int/our-emblematic-places, https://www.krug.com/en-int/krug-grande-cuvee, https://www.krug.com/en-int/krug-rose, https://www.krug.com/en-int/krug-vintage, https://www.krug.com/en-int/krug-collection, https://www.krug.com/en-int/krug-clos-du-mesnil, https://www.krug.com/en-int/krug-clos-dambonnay, https://www.krug.com/en-int/craftsmanship/individuality, https://www.krug.com/en-int/craftsmanship/patience, https://www.krug.com/en-int/champagne/krug-grande-cuvee-174eme-edition, https://www.krug.com/en-int/champagne/krug-grande-cuvee-173eme-edition. Secondary sources: https://www.winespectator.com/articles/krug-champagne-bought-by-lvmh-20155, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/krug-appoints-julie-cavil-cellarmaster-429162/, https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/krugs-unusual-ethos. Last verified 2026-09-23. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.