Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2008 Magnum Gifbox

Never before since the first vintage of 1972 la Grande Dame has had such a high proportion of pinot noir as in 2008: 92 %. This champagne is - for a house belonging to LVMH - quite uncompromising in its structured, pure style that demands ageing in bottle. The 2008 is so complete that it has a long list of qualities: concentration, a brilliant acidity structure that goes back to the sunny but cool summer. But the most impressive trait is the elegance and balance. The mineral structure, and multilayered precise palate shows the influence of the cooler Grands Crus Verzy and Verzenay as opposed to the softer, fuller Bouzy and Ambonnay. Grande Dame 2008 consists mainly of the most famous pinot noir terroirs: Ay, Ambonnay, Bouzy, Verzy, Verzenay. The chardonnay is from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. The wines were mainly fermented in big oak barrels, which is a return to methods not practiced in the last decades. Grande Dame 2008 smells of dried figs and apricots, ripe pears and hazelnut. It has a tingling minerality and nutty and yeasty aromas with discreet lemon and red fruit. From the elevage on lees which lasted for a decade the mousse is creamy. Because of the firm structure and brilliant acidity, it will develop for decades.