Veuve Clicquot Cave Privee Rose 1990

Distinctive and powerful, each Veuve Clicquot vintage is the unique expression of a single harvest chosen for its remarkable quality and loyalty to the House style. Vintages with exceptional qualities and unparalleled ageing potential are carefully preserved for decades at the heart of Veuve Clicquot’s chalk cellars in Reims, making up the Cave Privée collection. The addition of 17% red wine from Veuve Clicquot's unique vineyard in Bouzy complete the Cave Privée Rosé blend.

Weather: The 1990 vintage experienced some frost damage early in the year, particularly during April. However, a superb summer helped the grapes thrive in their growth. Due to the long days and summer sun combined with cool nights, the grapes had excellent alcohol and acidity levels. The crop was the third largest on record and 1990 produced the ripest wines since 1959. A fantastic vintage.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand & Premier Cru | Pinot Noir: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne | Chardonnay: Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims | Pinot Meunier: Montagne de Reims | Red Wine: Bouzy
Grape Varieties: 47% Pinot Noir, 27% Chardonnay, 9% Pinot Meunier, 17% Red Wine
Ageing: 15 years on the lees
Dosage: 8 g/l
Drink: Now to 2024

Tasting Note: The nose has hints of ginger and liquorice which leads to a well-balanced and nicely rounded palate. An abundance of red fruits, blackberries and ripe strawberries. On the mid-palate the flavours intensify. In magnum, this rosé has an incredible life left and given time to mature will be very rewarding.

Founded in 1772, Veuve Clicquot is a House steeped in rich history that owes its success largely to one woman. When Barbe-Nicole Clicquot-Ponsardin was widowed in 1805 at the age of just twenty-seven, she boldly took over sole management of the business and changed the future of Champagne forever. Displaying serious business acumen early in her tenure, decisions such as defying the blockade during the Napoleonic Wars and secretly shipping champagne to Russia gave Veuve Clicquot a significant lead over other Houses post-war. Madame Clicquot also invented the riddling rack at her kitchen table - an apparatus that removes the sediment from the bottle after second fermentation still used in the region today.

Privileged to a respectable 382-hectare estate with facilities to envy, Veuve Clicquot today run an immense operation in Reims. The House style is voluptuous and deeply fruity with a preference for Pinot Noir dominance. An unusually large proportion of old reserve wines give their non-vintage champagne nuances and depth not found elsewhere and their vintage expressions are deliciously ageing classics. Industry genius, Dominique Demarville has been ensuring Veuve Clicquot's continued success as Cellar Master since 2008.

Cellar Master: Dominique Demarville
Winery Location: Reims | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Montagne de Reims
Annual Production (bottles): Undisclosed