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Average Review Score: 4.9
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Average Review Score: 4.9
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Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1979

Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1979

Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1979
Created in 1972 to celebrate the bicentenary of the House, La Grande Dame is a tribute to Madame Clicquot also known as ‘La Grande Dame de la Champagne’. Veuve Clicquot's prestige cuvée, it is an exclusive blend of eight of their historical Grand Crus and is a mineral and fresh expression of the Veuve Clicquot style.

Weather in 1979: A year that proved satisfactory for many winemakers, both in quality and quantity. Following a cold, rainy spring, the return of the sun and warmer temperatures fostered good growth of the vines. The harvest in early October offered up bunches of shimmering golden Chardonnay grapes.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand Cru | Pinot Noir: Ambonnay, Aÿ, Bouzy, Verzenay, Verzy | Chardonnay: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Grape Varieties: 67% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay
Lees Ageing: 9 years
Disgorged: January 2018
Dosage: 4 g/l
Alcohol: 12%
Drink: Now to 2030

Tasting Note: Unfurling in the glass with a rich bouquet of orange rind, clear honey, coniferous forest floor, wheat toast and hints of black truffle. Full-bodied, ample and layered, it's textural and concentrated, with lively acids, a pinpoint mousse and a long, saline finish. This is a muscular, intense Grande Dame at the peak of its powers. - Tasted by William Kelley
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.

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.

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

Chef de Cave History at Champagne Veuve Clicquot:

Didier Mariotti 2019 to current | Took over from Demarville and continues to oversee the winemaking process, ensuring Veuve Clicquot's signature style remains consistent

Dominique Demarville 2008 - 2019 | Joined Veuve Clicquot in 2008 and made significant contributions, including increasing the proportion of Pinot Noir in La Grande Dame and refreshing the Yellow Label style.

Jacques Péters 1979 - 2009 | Considered one of Veuve Clicquot's finest, known for his dedication, humility, and winemaking talent.
Chef de Cave History at Champagne Veuve Clicquot:

Didier Mariotti 2019 to current | Took over from Demarville and continues to oversee the winemaking process, ensuring Veuve Clicquot's signature style remains consistent

Dominique Demarville 2008 - 2019 | Joined Veuve Clicquot in 2008 and made significant contributions, including increasing the proportion of Pinot Noir in La Grande Dame and refreshing the Yellow Label style.

Jacques Péters 1979 - 2009 | Considered one of Veuve Clicquot's finest, known for his dedication, humility, and winemaking talent.

Expert Reviews

95/100
William Kelley
“The 1979 Brut La Grande Dame is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with a rich bouquet of orange rind, clear honey, coniferous forest floor, wheat toast and hints of black truffle. Full-bodied, ample and layered, it's textural and concentrated, with lively acids, a pinpoint mousse and a long, saline finish. This is a muscular, intense Grande Dame at the peak of its powers.”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“Disgorged early 2018. Jacques Peters joined Veuve Clicquot in 1979. Picked early October. 67% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay. Light and crisp year. Bigger crop than 1989. Dosage 4 g/l.
Coppery gold. Full mirabelle nose. Pungent, vibrant palate. Long. Heady and tense. A little less exuberant than the 1989 Grande Dame but certainly still appetising. Still lots of chew and freshness. Coming up on the outside lane. Really grew in the glass.”
95/100
Antonio Galloni
“The 1979 La Grande Dame is one of the more exotic wines in this tasting. Kirsch, rose petal and Mirabelle plum all give the 1979 an intensely aromatic, perfumed profile that is nicely balanced by underlying veins of acidity that give the wine its freshness and energy. ”

News Articles

  1. Veuve Clicquot: 2018 Vins Clairs Tasting
    Veuve Clicquot: 2018 Vins Clairs Tasting An insightful vins clairs tasting with Dominique Demarville, Veuve Clicquot's eminent Chef de Cave, painted a clear picture of the 2018 vintage. Fresh, ripe and mature, with plenty of ageing potential, the base wines at Clicquot were either exceptional or good... none of them were bad.
  2. Veuve Clicquot: 2017 Vins Clairs
    Veuve Clicquot: 2017 Vins Clairs We tasted the 2017 vins clairs at Veuve Clicquot with Chief Winemaker Gaëlle Goossens, who described it as "a difficult year, but good for Chardonnay". We also discussed her thoughts on innovating winemaking by bridging the gap between oenology and viticulture.
  3. Veuve Clicquot: 200th Rosé Anniversary
    Veuve Clicquot: 200th Rosé Anniversary To commemorate the 200th anniversary since Madame Clicquot invented blended rosé champagne, Veuve Clicquot revealed the first ever Jeroboam of Rosé NV during a celebratory dinner at Manoir de Verzy and shared the secrets of their red winemaking expertise at a tasting in London.

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