Founded in 1772, Veuve Clicquot is a House steeped in rich history that owes its success largely to one woman, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot-Ponsardin. Madame Clicquot also invented the riddling rack on her kitchen table, an apparatus that removes the sediment from the bottle after second fermentation still used in the region today. Veuve Clicquot own a respectable 382 hectares of vineyards with an emphasis on Pinot Noir. The House maintains the largest collection of old reserve wines in Champagne, these help give Yellow Label its complexity while ensuring the high quality is maintained in the world’s second bestselling Champagne brand. In 2008 Dominique Demarville joined as Cellar Master, he “refreshed the brand” including increasing the proportion of Pinot Noir in La Grande Dame to 90%+ and with blending shifts he brought a new freshness in Yellow Label. In 2019 Didier Mariotti took over as Cellar Master.

This is the second release of Veuve Clicquot Extra Brut Extra Old following on from the original release back in 2017. This is a "multi vintage" and from reserve wines from the years 1990, 1998, 1999, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012! Chosen for their freshness, generosity and structure. Since Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label NV is a blend created year on year with expertise, the chef de cave at the time Demarville wanted to create a champagne to render the multi-vintages vibrancy, depth and purity. All the reserve wines blended have been aged for a minimum of three years in tank on lees and to extend the ageing further, Extra Brut Extra Old MV spends another five years maturing in bottle on the lees and another year in the cellars post-disgorgement. The EBEO is bottled to produce a lower pressure of 4.5 bars of pressure where as the standard is 6 bars, this lower level gives a softer mousse much gentler on the palate.

Demarville has said he has no intention for this Champagne to be a high-volume production commenting: "We cannot use all of the best reserve wines; we need them for Yellow Label." Hence only 30,000 bottles have been produced. The currently released batch were bottled in November 2013.

Technical Information:
Grape Varieties: 45% Pinot Noir, 27% Chardonnay, 28% Meunier
Reserve Wine: 100%
Vintages: 1990, 1998, 1999, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012
Bottled: 2014 at 4.5 bars
Lees Ageing: 4 years on the lees
Disgorged: November 2018
Dosage: 3 g/l
Drink: Now for 5+ years

Tasting Note: An intense golden colour in the glass with a fine stream of tightly knit beads. It is rich and intense, those ripe tropical fruits and citrus and apple and underlying spice. The palate is showing the magic in this blend, there is freshness and maturity, hints of zesty apples and underlying toastiness which is velvet textured. A well-balanced minerality through the long-lasting finish. Very good, I prefer this blend to the original release. This has the characteristics to supplement a meal but due to the freshness could be served as an apéritif.