Average rating 4.9/5 stars across all Google and external reviews
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Bought directly from Moet Hennessey UK Ltd, the bottles are stored in bond at London City Bond Eton Park, in ideal conditions at a constant 13°C. For same-day deliveries, small quantities are kept in our office cellar, where the temperature is maintained between 11–13°C. We source all our bottles directly from the Maison or their official UK office, eliminating the risk of poor storage. This is crucial, as champagne quality is highly sensitive to heat: temperatures above 18°C accelerate maturity significantly, which compromises quality.
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: 2008 was dominated by grey, overcast skies – an exception in a decade characterized by bold, generous sunshine. Spring and summer rought the same lack of sunlight and absence of high temperatures. It was September that saved the vintage, belatedly and miraculously. Just when the harvest was getting underway (on September 15), the weather conditions were finally perfect: blue skies and prolonged north-northeasterly winds. Picking was spread out over a long period in order to benefit from this positive turn of events. The grapes were riper than anyone dared hope, and had truly outstanding balance. The vines were in perfect health.
Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand Cru | Pinot Noir: Ambonnay, Aÿ, Bouzy, Verzenay, Verzy | Chardonnay: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Grape Varieties: 92% Pinot Noir, 8% Chardonnay
Ageing: 9 years on the lees
Disgorged: January 2018
Dosage: 6 g/l
Alcohol: 12%
Drink: Now to 2030
Tasting Note:A vibrant, fresh opening gives way to more rounded aromas of dried figs and apricots, ripe pear and a hint of hazelnuts. The long lees ageing complements the palate with a well balanced richness and mouthfeel ending with some bright acidity. Fruits of yellow plums and hints of tropical notes, guava and pineapple. The finish is long and fresh. A stunning Grande Dame typifying the 2008 vintage.
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.
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
94 → 96/100
Essi Avellan MW
“Deeply fruity nose, pronounced with apple, cardamom, lemon, wax, white pepper and butter. The real classiness comes through on the crisp, alluringly nervous palate of superb intensity and drive. All about the power and structure of Pinot but in a fine and elegant form. Magnificent in magnum. ”
17++/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“Very pale with a greenish tinge. Fresh, pretty youthful nose. Masses of acidity and very definitely not ready yet. Still seems embryonic. But it certainly isn’t too sweet!”
93/100
William Kelley
“Exhibiting aromas of pear, toasted brad, confit citrus and smoke, the 2008 Brut La Grande Dame is full-bodied, rich and textural, with a deep and layered core, ripe but racy acids and a saline finish. A blend dominated by fully 92% Pinot Noir, this is true to the cuvée's rich and muscular style, but the vintage lends it welcome additional cut and precision. It's showing a lot better than the bottles I tasted in the United States last year.”
16.5++/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“Disgorged January 2018. This is the first Grande Dame made by Dominique Demarville. He decided to push the percentage of Pinot Noir to the max. 92% Pinot Noir, mainly from Verzy (37%) and Verzenay (14%), which represents 51% of the blend. Also 23% Bouzy, 4% Ambonnay and 14% Aÿ. Plus 8% Chardonnay from Le Mesnil. Dosage 6 g/l. Very tight and energetic even if not that much charm. Constant bead. A little introvert and the aroma has to fight a bit to make its presence felt. Dominique says he is concentrating on lightness (corrected later to brightness) for the Grande Dame (and power for the vintage – which seems a little counterintuitive). Lots of acidity and introversion. He recommends this for an aperitif or very light food.”
Veuve Clicquot have announced that Didier Mariotti, currently chief winemaker at G.H. Mumm, will be joining the house next month and will take over as chef de cave in January 2020.
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.
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.
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.
Chef de Caves, Dominique Demarville showed us the 2016 Vins Clairs, a trial blend for this year's Yellow Label NV and both La Grande Dame & Rosé 2008. We also cellared some Champagnes from the 60s...
