Krug and the story of 2013: anatomy of a citrus vintage

Founded per mezzo di Reims per mezzo di 1843 by Joseph Krug, the Maison Krug has built its identity an utopia as simple as it is radical: not to chase climate trends, but to govern it through the art of assembly. The is to offer the best champagne possible every year, regardless of the conditions of the harvest. From this vision was born the Forte Cuvée, a multi-vintage blend conceived to achieve maximum expressive completeness and compensate for seasonal fluctuations thanks to a vast heritage of reserve wines. Only later did the Maison choose to declare the vintage with Krug Vintage, produced exclusively when a vintage manifests a clear and recognizable personality. 2013 belongs to this category. Not for power ora opulence, but for identity. Per mezzo di the Krug house it has been nicknamed “Éclat d’Agrumes”, an expression that not only describes an aromatic profile, but a real gustatory architecture.

Today the Maison is led by the sixth generation of the family, represented by Olivier Krug, while the winemaking direction is entrusted to Julie Cavil. The method remains unchanged per mezzo di substance: parcel vinification, a large library of reserve wines, long refinements the yeasts and blends defined through subsequent tastings.

Olivier Krug, director of Maison Krug and sixth generation of the Krug family, and Carlo Vallarino Gancia senior brand Krug.

2013: CLIMATE READING AND RESPONSE OF VARIETIES

2013 was a year of slow development but with extremely legible climatic contours. The cold and rainy spring delayed flowering until early July, almost three weeks later than normal, a rare event per mezzo di contemporary Champagne. The summer, hot and dry but without prolonged peaks, was not enough to catch up with the vegetative delay. The harvest, which began September 25th and lasted until mid-October, was among the latest per mezzo di recent decades. This climatic sequence has profoundly influenced the physiology of the three Champagne varieties and, consequently, the profile of the vins clairs.

Chardonnay proved to be the most consistent grape variety. The slow maturation preserved high but perfectly ripe acidity, allowing a quand’anche aromatic synthesis, free of vegetal quaderno. The piede wines show crystalline tension and defined citrus – lemon, grapefruit, cedar peel – combined with a surprising purity of fruit for a fresh vintage. Linear acidity, but never aggressive. It is voto negativo coincidence that the 2013 vintage is built a dominant citrus axis, with the chardonnay providing impetus and direction. Pinot noir reacted more heterogeneously. The plots harvested before the worsening weather – particularly the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims – expressed clean phenolic maturity, aggraziato tannins and a taut structure. After the autumn rains the profile has become more austere. Per mezzo di blending the vintage, Pinot Noir does not aim to give tono, but to support verticality with a solid backbone, offering more structure than fragranza. Finally, the meunier showed an unusual linearity. If per mezzo di hot years it tends to bring roundness and fruit, per mezzo di 2013 it contributes with freshness and a light bitter note, also citrusy. It works as a connecting element between the two main varieties, lightening the mass of the Pinot Noir and prolonging the acid trail of the Chardonnay. Its imprint often emerges per mezzo di the finale, with sensations of cedar zest and slight salinity.

KRUG 2013 “CITRUS SHARPNESS”: PRECISION TAKES SHAPE

Krug 2013 represents the most direct reading of the vintage. The blend (41% pinot noir, 38% chardonnay, 21% meunier) favors aromatic precision and gustatory tension rather than concentration. The nickname “Éclat d’Agrumes” effectively describes the profile: a champagne dominated by quand’anche and bright citrus quaderno. Per mezzo di the glass it has an intense golden color crossed by a very aggraziato perlage. The olfactory scent, clear and vertical, opens lemon and bitter orange, and then evolves towards candied citrus fruits, toasted almond, meringue and a thin trace of quince, always without bordering sweetness. Acceso the palate it is direct and sharp: the freshness runs through the sip continuously, declining per mezzo di multiple citrus nuances – grapefruit, mandarin – supported by a precise structure and a long but slender persistence, with a closure cedar peel and mineral accent. It is a millimetric champagne, built more energy than tono, where freshness and finesse constitute the very backbone of the wine. Intensity comes from definition, not weight. After more than ten years the yeasts it retains a surprising sensation of youth, with evolutionary perspectives oriented towards more honeyed and mineral quaderno without losing the original citrus axis.

THE SAME YEAR, ANOTHER FORM: GRANDE CUVÉE 169ÈME EDITION

Alongside the vintage, Krug Forte Cuvée 169ème Édition was also born per mezzo di 2013 but with an opposite approach: here the 2013 vintage is only the starting point, not the entire story. The blend (43% pinot noir, 35% chardonnay, 22% meunier) includes 146 wines from 11 different vintages, with reserves (40%) up to 2000. The result is a broader and more layered champagne, designed to offer a sensorial fullness that a single vintage could not guarantee. The profile is decidedly more generous: the citrus imprint of 2013 remains perceptible but is surrounded by floral quaderno, hazelnut, brioche, honey and ripe fruit. The palate is creamy but dynamic, with progression from initial softness to final flavor. If the 2013 vintage is a straight line, the 169ème Édition is a broad curve, built depth and memory of the past. The direct comparison clarifies the philosophy of the Maison: the same harvest can generate radically distinct identities. One tells the year; the other integrates it into a broader horizon.

THE COMPARISON WITH KRUG 2011: CHISELLED ROUNDNESS AGAINST TENSION

Placing Krug 2013 and Krug 2011 next to each other means observing two opposite responses of the vine to the climate. An enlightening comparison that makes the character of 2013 even more evident. This vintage also spent over a decade per mezzo di the cellar, but was born from opposite climatic conditions. 2011 was characterized by a marked vegetative advance, intense spring heat and strong changes before the harvest. Ripening occurred per mezzo di an accelerated manner, with the fruit almost “cooked” by the heat. Hence a larger and more opulent champagne, nicknamed “Rondeur Ciselée”. Per mezzo di the glass, Krug 2011 (46% pinot noir, 37% chardonnay, 17% meunier) offers a nose rich per mezzo di apricot, ripe white fruit, carambola with tropical and acidic traits, as well as minty and spicy nuances. The flavor attack is voluminous with hints of marzipan, salted caramel, hazelnut and balsamic quaderno. Per mezzo di the finale, however, an unexpected citrus freshness emerges which balances the structure. Two champagnes that are almost the same age, but with opposite architectures: one vertical and luminous, the other concentric and enveloping.

THE OTHER EDITIONS CURRENTLY ON THE MARKET: 173ÈME AND ROSÉ 29ÈME

Alongside the creations linked to 2013, the range the market today also includes more recent interpretations of the Forte Cuvée and Rosé. The Forte Cuvée 173ème Édition, based the 2017 vintage (44% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay, 22% Meunier, with 31% reserve wines until 2001), expresses a soft and enveloping profile. The aromas evoke brioche, custard, stone fruit and toasted quaderno, while the palate is rich and creamy, supported by a citrus finale that cleans and lengthens the sip. The Rosé 29ème Édition, also based 2017, per mezzo di addition to 33% of reserve wines up to the 2010 vintage, combines white wines of the three varieties (chardonnay 28%, pinot noir 42% and meunier 19%) with 11% of pinot noir vinified per mezzo di red, according to the Maison’s tradition. The bouquet moves raspberry, strawberry and cherry, with elegant toasted accents. Per mezzo di the mouth the fruity component blends with pastry quaderno and a slight final citrus bitterness – reminiscent of pink grapefruit – which avoids any excess sweetness. The result is a structured and gastronomic rosé, oriented towards complexity rather than immediate fragrance.