In 1843, Joseph Krug established the House of Krug in Reims, France, at the center of the rich wine-growing region of Champagne. A German-born accountant who had moved to Paris when he was 34, Krug wanted to dispense with "vintages" and create a sparkling wine that could be produced with unwavering consistency every year. He was helped by an aptitude for blending reserve wines, a gift that allowed him to create one of the world's most sippable Champagnes, Krug Grande Cuvée NV. He said that Champagne should be about perfection, and perfection is ultimately about pleasure. We know this because he wrote it in a journal, discovered in Krug's archives only two years ago, a copy of which is now on display at the brand's Maison in Reims. Today, Krug, now a sixth-generation family business, buys about two-thirds of its grapes from 100 suppliers in the Champagne region, where there are some 280,000 pinot noir and chardonnay vineyards in use, according to Eric Lebel, the House of Krug's cellar master. Of Lebel's many jobs, one of the most important is quality control. He pays regular visits to more than 200 regional vineyards, especially in September, when the grapes are harvested. He selects vineyards by the characteristics of their grapes, not by the tonnage they can supply. By autumn, Krug's base wines are created. A diverse tasting committee convenes three times a week, registering around 5,000 records over the course of five months. Lebel then plods the notes, and by March will have a sketch of the year's take. He fills in any flavor blanks (Grande Cuvée NV is essentially an oenological jigsaw puzzle), by blending the base wines from that year with some 150 wines from ten different vintages. The entire process from harvest to maturation can last anywhere from 7 to 17 years, whether it's Grande Cuvée NV or a Krug vintage. Krug also has its own 17th-century Chardonnay vineyard, Clos du Mesnil, in the village of Mesnil-sur-Oger, access to which is usually granted only to employees. The cloistered vineyard, which the Krug family maintains to be the purest expression of chardonnay, is locked behind high, protective walls that provide the grapes with a superior microclimate. It's one of 12 walled vineyards in the Champagne region, with an annual output of between 2,000 and 10,000 bottles. At the House's Maison in Reims, employees take particular pride in their association with the brand. One told a story about an afternoon a few years ago, when some archived vintages were being moved and a bottle fell and cracked along the neck. Everyone rushed to sample the damaged bottle's contents and guess the vintage. Because the Champagne was bright and crisp without a hint of having gone off, most guessed 1960 or 1970, but the bottled dated to 1915. Owned by LVMH since 1999, Krug's operations have never been open to the public. But this week, Lebel offered a rare look into the winemaker's maison and private vineyard, revealing the alchemy required to make the perfect Krug Grande Cuvée NV.