As you walk down the aisle of your favorite wine shop or grocery store, it is hard to miss the Champagne in the yellow label. Veuve Clicquot is one of the world’s iconic Champagne houses that has a brilliant history. Founded in 1772 by Philippe Clicquot, the winery is one of the largest Champagne houses in the region. Madame Clicquot is considered to be an iconic heiress in wine and was truly one of the most famous persons in the world of wine. She was the revolutionary mind behind creating the first vintage Champagne in 1810 and also invented the riddling process which made it possible to clarify Champagne. Finally Madame Clicquot created what is known as the first Rose Champagne in 1818. She is also credited by making Champagne the choice for the European nobility. There is good reason why Madame Clicquot is honored by the ‘La Grand Dame’ Champagne, which is the tete de cuvee that Vevue Clicquot only makes in the best vintages (most recently 2006, 2008 and recently released 2012).
In 1986 Veuve Clicquot was purchased by the LVMH group (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) — truly one of the world powers of Champagne. If you’re sipping a glass of Champagne, chances are it is comes from LVMH. While only 1% of the world’s wine is Champagne, 2017 LVMH amassed profits of €42.6 billion in 2017, an increase of 13% over the previous year. That a ton of Champagne sold. LVMH owns Moet & Chandon, Veuve Clicot and Dom Perignon, and many other storied houses in Champagne.
At the helm is Cellar Master Dominique Demarville who has now crafted his first ‘La Grand Dame’ bottling which is a total revelation. He has also created a gorgeous new Rose wine, the NV Veuve Clicquot Rose Champagne (WWB, 92) which has seriously good range for the price. I was completely blown away with the 2008 Veuve Clicquot ‘La Grand Dame’ Champagne (WWB, 95) which has massive tension and an incredible sense of mouthfeel. Learn more at https://www.veuveclicquot.com/en-int Here are my recent reviews of the beautiful new Champagnes by Veuve Clicquot.
NV Veuve Clicquot ‘Brut’ Champagne- The iconic ‘yellow label’ Veuve Cicquot is showing it is great degree of freshness and citrus zest tones right out of the gate. Lithe and polished, enjoy this elegant style, with a great underlying tension and light salinity, over the next several years. No reason to cellar this, as the ‘Brut’ Champagne makes for an awesome aperitif. Drink 2020-2025- 90
NV Veuve Clicquot Rose Champagne- The Veuve Clicquot Rose Champagne is a sensational new wine from this storied Champagne house. Recently disgorged, this shows off lighter musty aromatics that collide with the intense bright fruits and gooseberry aromas that all take shape in the glass. The palate shows a surprising level of richness as the texture impresses once on the mouth. Lively flavors reminiscent of Bosc pear, cran-cherry, salted Marcona almond and suggestions of marzipan all meld together on the palate. The sense of salinity here is brilliant. Beautiful in its youth, this classy new Rose Champagne will cellar well over the next seven years. Drink-2020-2027- 92
2008 Veuve Clicquot ‘La Grand Dame’ Brut Chamagne- The 2008 La Grande Dame is an absolute revelation. This is Cellar Master Dominique Demarville first vintage of La Grande Dame, and he has crafted a blend with 92% Pinot Noir – the highest percentage ever in Veuve Clicquot’s history. As this spectacular Champagne slowly unwinds, it begins to display deep diatomaceous earth tones that marvelously mingle with lemon oil and hazelnut aromatics that all are woven together in the glass. At this stage it is tightly wound, yet possesses a rich and highly satisfying mouthfeel that is beautifully defined and shows shades of roasted pineapple, Japanese pear, kumquat, salted praline with suggestions of freshly baked sourdough bread that persist throughout. This is a truly fantastic vintage for La Grande Dame, however it seems as if it still going to require a few more years of bottle age before it reaches its optimal drinking window. Drink 2020-2038- 95