La Grande Dame
La Grande Dame, is a showcase of the House’s excellence. It perfectly expresses its love for Pinot Noir, which since the 2008 vintage, has represented over 90% of the blend. The responsibility that lies on the shoulders of the Cellar Master is to glorify this grape and strike the right balance so that it expresses itself through its refined, elegant, light, delicate, yet powerful character, with firmness, extreme subtlety and a certain restraint. It is a tribute to Madame Clicquot and to the creative and elegant souls who have followed in her footsteps. A wine to reflect the image of La Grande Dame herself. Madame Clicquot used her determination, intuition and vision to choose and acquire exceptional parcels in the villages Bouzy, Verzenay and Verzy, all of which would later go on to obtain the prestigious Grand Cru classification.
”La Grande Dame 2012 is a wine that is both precise and delicate. It is playful, lively, laughing. This new vintage offers a strong minerality carried by Pinot Noir balanced with the freshness of the blend. Its aging potential is immense, it is a wine whose tasting makes me vibrate.”
Didier Mariotti, Veuve Clicquot Cellar Master
THE HOUSE'S HIDDEN TREASURE
It perfectly expresses its love for Pinot Noir
La Grande Dame 2012 blend is made mainly from grapes from historical Grands Crus vineyards, among the most prestigious in Champagne. Pinot Noir dominates the blend at 90%, magnified by 10% Chardonnay, with grapes from Aÿ, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay, Bouzy. The 10% Chardonnay comes from the Grands Crus Avize and Mesnil-sur-Oger.
The cuvée
With its highly capricious weather, few could have predicted the outcome of the 2012 harvest. But ultimately, the year’s warmth and sunshine prevailed to help define this exceptional vintage. A fine example of the La Grande Dame style, this cuvée perfectly expresses the radiant maturity of the 2012 harvest and the finesse and complexity of Pinot Noir. In the spring, rainfall was 60% above average, followed by late frost and severe hailstorms that devastated more than 1,000 hectares of Champagne vineyards. After a difficult start to the season and multiple climatic vagaries (frosts, torrential rain, thunderstorms, hail, cold), mildness prevailed, and nature brought warmth and dry summer weather. The summer season established itself in mid-August with perfect sunshine conditions, very dry weather and high temperatures until the end of the harvest, producing high-quality grapes with good maturity and balance, similar to those of 1989 and 2002. Tastings of the base wines revealed depth, intensity, length and perfect balance. Despite the modest harvest in terms of quantity, this excellent quality convinced the Cellar Master to declare 2012 a vintage year and create a new edition of La Grande Dame.
Tasting notes
Initial notes of white flowers on the nose, such as jasmine, honeysuckle and vine flowers can be felt and then opens with fruitier nuances of apple, pear and peach. A few notes of fresh almond and frangipane complete the bouquet. In the mouth, the cuvée reveals more complex aromas: dried apricot, hazelnuts, honey and sugar candy. Silky textures give the wine its personality, elegance and character. The aging has imparted particular depth and power to the wine.
Agreements
mets & wine
mets & wine
- Fresh Vegetables
- Fresh Fruits
- Fresh herbs
Technical identity
Structure
Pinot Noir
90%
Fruitiness
Meunier
0%
Freshness
Chardonnay
10%
Reserve wines
None
0%
Red wines
None
0%
Dosage
Brut
6 G/L
Serving temperature
10 - 12
Ageing potential
10 - 15
years
Celebrating the new vintage, Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2012 by Yayoi Kusama
The iconic Japanese, Yayoi Kusama, artist sends a cheerful message to the whole world by imagining a unique, joyful and colorful creation specifically made for Veuve Clicquot. It is with its iconic symbols, that Yayoi Kusama adorns La Grande Dame 2012 case and bottle.The opulent flower symbolizes vital energy, love and celebration of life. The polka dots, Yayoi Kusama's signature patterns are reworked like tiny champagne bubbles to embody La Grande Dame 2012.
