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.

New to this 2008 Vintage: 5% of the wines were produced and aged in wooden casks from forests in Central France, from Allier and Vosges. This was to increase the complexity and aromatic richness of our Vintages, our gourmet wines. These cask-aged wines constitute the spices of the blend. Their aromas are very lightly woody, vanilla with toasted aromas.

Weather: 2008 was dominated by grey, overcast skies – an exception in a decade characterized by bold, generous sunshine. Spring and summer brought 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:
Grape Varieties: 61% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay, 5% Meunier
Ageing: 8 years on the lees
Dosage: 8 g/l
Drink: Now to 2030

Tasting Note: This has a fine bead of bubbles present with a golden yellow colour. On the nose: white fruits and nicely balanced citrus notes. On the palate: the Pinot Noir dominance shines through but is balanced perfectly by the delicate Chardonnay. Ripe fruits and some hints of brioche on the finish. A great non-vintage.