There’s never been a better time to explore Champagne.

Since the dawn of global wine consumption, large producers like Moet & Chandon and Louis Roederer have dominated the Champagne market. That all changed in the late 1990s, when Terry Thiese began importing “farmer fizz.”

Wine geeks quickly became obsessed with growers in Thiese’s portfolio like Chartogne-Taillet, Vilmart, Pierre Peters, and Gimonnet. Today, it seems like there’s a hot new producer every month. Ulysse Collin! Vouette et Sorbée! Jérôme Prévost! Frédéric Savart! Sometimes, it’s hard to keep up.

But there’s still something special — heck, beautiful — about certain big-house Champagnes. One of my favorites is Krug. The NV offering (ahem, “multi vintage”) is without comparison. And all Krug’s wines effortlessly combine power with finesse.

Visiting Krug was certainly one of the highlights of my recent visit to France. Below are some photos from my visit.

Joseph Krug and a journal of his that was discovered just three years ago.

One hallway (of many) in the cellar at Krug.

Riddling racks.

The library. Sadly, it was behind a locked gate.

The wines we tasted.