Personal advice
The essentials
Today we are inclined to interpret the nutty notes that belong to the classic Veuve Clicquot style as signs of drinking maturity. For some, the discreet oxidative notes are already a sign of over-maturity, as we have become accustomed to more intensely fruity styles, which is why the house has pursued a more approachable style in recent years.
However, the truly chocolatey-nutty mature aromas, complemented by dried apricots and orange zest and which create the appeal of mature Ponsardin-Clicquot Champagnes, only appear slowly after further ageing in the cellar.
We already like it now, but the “aha” moment only comes later.
The 2008 vintage does not at all correspond to the idea of good wine years being warm and blessed with sunshine. In Champagne, within a decade in which summers were marked by blue skies and abundant sunshine, it stands alone. From spring until the end of August, clouds dominated the sky and temperatures remained cool. Winegrowers had good reason to fear that the grapes would remain defined by high acidity, low sugar and unripe phenolics. 2008 seemed to be joining the long series of unripe and acid-driven vintages. Then the unexpected happened: shortly before mid-September the weather changed. For weeks it was marked by sunshine and wind, which prevented the spread of disease. The harvest stretched over weeks during which the winegrowers waited for higher ripeness. The surprise was complete. The vintage combines the high acidity of the classic, ageworthy years with perfect ripeness and fruity charm.
A glance at the Alfavin cellar
A glance at the Alfavin cellar
A glance at the Alfavin Cellar