Personal advice
Veuve Clicquot is the second largest Champagne house after Moët-Chandon and belongs to the same group. Despite its 18 million bottles, it produces several meticulously crafted cuvées that are the house's flagship. These include the Vintage, but especially La Grande Dame. Originally, the style of the house was not dissimilar to Bollinger and Krug. Since switching to aging in steel tanks, the style has become more fruit-focused. Recently, the company has been experimenting again with aging in wooden barrels.
La Grande Dame is a champagne with a very high Pinot Noir content, released in 1972 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin. The first vintage was 1962. La Grande Dame is a champagne with aromas of nuts, chocolate, caramel, and honey. Starting with the 2012 vintage, the style has become more fruity.
Veuve Cliquot maintains large quantities of reserve wines. These reserves are also used to create the Cuvée Extra Old, which offers the flavor profile of a classic, mature Champagne.
The Bollinger style is characterized by the ripeness and power of the Pinot Noir from the southern Reims Mountains. Aÿ and Bouzy are among the most famous sites. However, emphasis is placed on mineral, cooler Pinot Noir terroirs such as Verzenay, which are also present in the cuvée.
Aging in used oak barrels adds complexity. Bollinger focuses less on fruit and more on nutty, chocolatey flavors. Recently, however, cellar master Dennis Bunner has been using wood somewhat differently. The long lees aging results in a silky palate and a very fine perlage.
Dennis Bunner is a terroir fan. Following on from Vieilles Vignes Francaises, he's launching a Terroir Series PN, which also consists exclusively of Pinot Noir. While no single vineyard dominates here, a region changes from edition to edition. It's fascinating to observe how this affects the style.