Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2012 in design box

Grande Dame 2012 has a fine perlage and a silky palate. Vanilla biscuits, apricots, apple, nougat and smoky Pinot Noir notes are aromatically present. It has body and fullness but also a good mineral structure. The drinking window is from 2025 to 2035+.

2012 is not only a new beginning thanks to the artistic design by Yayoi Kusama, but also carefully modernises the style without abandoning it. La Grande Dame appears less nutty and oxidative, but more fruity and somewhat softer. 2015 and 2018 are also in line with this trend. Dominique Demarville accompanied the beginnings of this modernisation as Chef de Cave, but was against it, so he left Veuve Clicquot and is now Didier Marotti's cellar master.

96(94) Richard Juhlin champagneclub.com Again, almost a Blanc de Noirs signed Dominique Demarville strongly dominated by Verzy. However, the small addition of Chardonnay comes exclusively from the two strongest perfumes in the Côte des Blancs, Avize and Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger and their impact is significantly greater than the percentage indicates. An absolutely wonderful and surprisingly open and generous 2012. The color is lighter and with more green splashes than expected and the perfume is seductive and complete. Here, buttery notes dance together with the whole patisserie, all kinds of apple varieties, mandarin, nougat, white chocolate, peach marmalade and hazelnut cream in a completely harmonious way already. I will drink my bottles of this champagne much earlier than I will with the slowly evolving and much tighter 08'. This brilliant champagne is very reminiscent of how the later legendary 79' tasted like as newly launched. A bit more restrained at the second tasting.

750 mL

12.5

Champagne

Pinot Noir & Chardonnay

Sulphites

• Brut

France

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, 12 rue du Temple, 51100 Reims