Houses
Krug
A Reims house founded in 1843, built around a house style that privileges extensive multi-vintage blending, fermentation in small oak casks and long lees ageing.
- Founded
- 1843
- Location
- Reims, Champagne, France
- Ownership
- Part of LVMH (acquired 1999)
- Known for
- Krug Grande Cuvée (multi-vintage blend) · Krug Vintage · Clos du Mesnil (monopole) · Clos d'Ambonnay (monopole) · Use of small oak casks for first fermentation
- Official site
- www.krug.com
Style
Krug’s entire production is anchored in two distinctive choices: primary fermentation in small 205-litre oak casks, and deep blending across vintages drawn from a reserve library of more than 150 wines. The goal is a consistent, richly textured house style rather than a vintage expression; Krug does not release a non-vintage cuvée of the conventional kind.
Cuvées
- Grande Cuvée — the flagship, a blend of 120+ wines from up to 15 different vintages. Each release is numbered (Édition).
- Krug Rosé — similar blending philosophy, finished with still red wine.
- Krug Vintage — a single-year expression, released only in selected years.
- Krug Clos du Mesnil — single-vineyard, single-vintage, 100% Chardonnay from a 1.84 ha walled parcel in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.
- Krug Clos d’Ambonnay — single-vineyard, single-vintage, 100% Pinot Noir from a 0.68 ha walled parcel in Ambonnay.
History
Founded in 1843 by Johann-Joseph Krug, a German-born cellar master who had worked at Jacquesson. The house stayed under family leadership for five generations. It was acquired by Rémy Cointreau in 1971, then by LVMH in 1999; the Krug family remains active in creative leadership.
Positioning
Krug sits entirely in the prestige tier of champagne; every cuvée is a luxury release and the house does not produce an entry-level expression.