Veuve clicquot la grande dame 2008 champagne

La Grande Dame Rose is Veuve Clicquot's Prestige Cuvee. It is dedicated to the memory of Madame Clicquot, a pioneer in the early days of Champagne production (La Grande Dame means 'The Great Lady'. La Grande Dame Rose is the Veuve Clicquot House’s rarest wine from Pinot Noir grapes.

THE VINTAGE

The spring of 2008 was cool and rainy. Thanks to an also cool and dry summer, the grapes ripened in excellent conditions. Several factors were taken into consideration to make 2008 a La Grande Dame cuvee in respecting tradition and the House’s quest for excellence: the exceptional quality of the grapes and most importantly a remarkable acidity which recalled other extraordinary Vintages at Veuve Clicquot such as 1995, 1985 and 1979.

La Grande Dame Rose 2008 is an exclusive blend of 6 of the House’s 8 historical Grands Crus. The cuvee is made of 92% Pinot Noir and 8% Chardonnay (Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger). The blend is obtained by adding 14% Pinot Noir red wine from Clos Colin, located in Bouzy, one of the most historical plots of the Veuve Clicquot vineyard and also the most iconic.

As a constant hallmark of the House’s style, the predominance of Pinot Noir provides the structure that is so typically Veuve Clicquot. However, for this specific vintage of La Grande Dame 2008, the proportion of Pinot Noir was taken to another level (92%) by the Chef de Cave Dominique Demarville – one of the highest ever at Veuve Clicquot – as a true testimony of Madame Clicquot’s heritage and a tribute to her fondness for structure and strength.

TASTING NOTES

On the eye: La Grande Dame Rose 2008 offers a beautiful pink gold with light copper hues. Gentle bubbles explode with an extreme delicacy.

On the nose: Full-bodied and smooth, then refined with fresh aromas. The generosity of the Pinot Noir resonates beautifully after a slow and long aging in the cellars. The wine shows powerful notes of red fruits (raspberry and strawberry), combined with citrus notes (blood orange, grapefruit), and finally holds a perfect balance between subtle and spicy red berries, rooibos tea and fine leather notes.

On the palate: The attack is delicate and smooth. In full harmony with the nose, fruit outshines the palate and presents intensity in red and black fruits (cherry, strawberry, blackberry and blackcurrant). The strength and youth are carved by long aging notes, dried flowers and smoky notes, presenting an incredible complexity which is worthy of the best Pinot Noir of Champagne.

PAIRING

Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Rose 2008 will pair perfectly with gastronomy, especially with beef, ravioli with prawns, lamb and stuffed tomatoes.

Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut being poured into glasses

The storied house of Veuve Clicquot has built a name for itself on its Yellow Label. One of the most recognizable bottles thanks to brilliant marketing campaigns like the brand’s annual Polo Classic compounded with an accessible price point by Champagne standards, it has become a huge success, particularly in the United States. In 2017, Veuve Clicquot surpassed the exportation of half a million cases to the U.S., with the Brut Yellow Label making up a large portion of its sales. But as wildly popular as the non-vintage bubbly may be, it’s the lesser-known La Grande Dame that’s the true crown jewel.

La Grande Dame is an homage to Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, a woman who took over her late husband’s business in 1805, turning his winery into one of the most celebrated champagne houses to ever exist. Credited as the inventor of the riddling technique and the only woman to hold such a significant role in the industry, she was known as the Grande Dame of Champagne. And in 1972—the 200th anniversary of the brand—the prestige cuvée in honor of Madame Clicquot debuted with a 1962 vintage.

A bottle of Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2008

Next month, the next release of La Grande Dame will hit stores, but with one significant change. The 2004 and 2006 iterations consist of 61 percent and 53 percent Pinot Noir, respectively. The 2008 vintage, however, is made up of 92 percent Pinot Noir, a first for the label. The first vintage at Veuve Clicquot made by chef de cave Dominique Demarville, who arrived to the house in 2006, the cellar master wanted to pay tribute to Madame Clicquot’s “fondness for structure and strength” by taking the Pinot Noir to a higher level. “For La Grande Dame, my vision is to highlight the finesse and elegance that Pinot Noir offers us in these grand crus. In a way, this is the Veuve Clicquot twist: to combine depth and silkiness with lightness and elegance in this exceptional cuvée,” Demarville explains.

And La Grande Dame 2008 delivers on Demarville’s word. A great year in the Champagne region thanks to “a cool and rainy spring followed by a cool but dry summer, the grapes ripened in excellent conditions,” notes the cellar master. “In addition to the overall exceptional quality of the grapes themselves, they maintained a remarkable acidity, which resembled other extraordinary vintages at Veuve Clicquot such as 1979, 1985, and 1995.” The blanc variant has a striking light golden hue and is strong on the nose while presenting flavors of young citrus and red fruits. Meanwhile, the rosé has a beautiful pinkish gold color and is full-bodied and smooth on the nose, with a smooth intensity of red and black fruits. The results are complex and bold, while still maintaining a degree of freshness, and have the lasting effect that you want out of a prestige cuvée.

While Yellow Label retails around the $40 to $50 range, La Grande Dame requires more of a splurge, with an SRP of $165 and $295 for blanc and rosé, respectively. But it’s well worth it for the oenophile looking to truly savor their champagne.

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