Clicquot revolution: La Grande Dame 2008

Chef de Cave Dominique Demarville, with the magnificent vintage 2008, has lifted La Grande Dame to its utmost expression of elegance and finesse, with 92% of the wine Pinot Noir.

After many tastings we no longer have any doubts: The Clicquot revolution began in 2008 when Chef de Cave Dominique Demarville began to run the Maison. Given his talent, audacity and quest for excellence, there is no question that he is the worthy heir to the celebrated Veuve (Widow) of Champagne, Madame Clicquot Ponsardin, whose visionary capacity to innovate still inspires Demarville every day.

When he arrived in 2006, his predecessor Jacques Peters had him involved from the start in creating the blends, instilling in him the subtleties of the style of Maison Veuve Clicquot and, in particular, its deep rapport with Pinot Noir. But Peters’ greatest intuition was undoubtedly that of recognizing Demarville’s talent and entrusting him, starting with the 2008 harvest, with the keys to the winery and giving him the freedom not only to introduce novelties at the Maison, like using large oak barrels to ferment part of the grapes, the wine from which was like “fine spice” and accounts for between 5-10% of the blend, but also to carry out an authentic revolution. In the Clicquot universe, where Pinot Noir has always dominated the blend, Demarville in 2008 gave this grape the undisputed leading role, making up 92% of the blend in the Maison’s top cuvée, La Grande Dame, the cuvée de prestige created to mark the bicentennial of the Maison’s foundation as a homage to its guiding light Madame Clicquot.

The title of Grande Dame of Champagne was, in fact, attributed to her by her contemporaries for her entrepreneurial and innovative excellence. It was her intuition that in 1810, the year of the comet, led to the creation of the first vintage Champagne. This unique and prodigious wine dazzled the court of the tsar of Russia and she followed this, six years later, with the first rosé de assemblage. La Grande Dame 2008 is 19th edition of this wine in 50 years and Dominique Demarville has already let it be known that Grande Dame 2012 and 2015 are already aging in the Maison’s chalk cellars and will soon be joined by the blend that has just been made from the 2018 harvest.

With the skill of an alchemist, Dominique Demarville has selected very special ingredients to create his revolution with La Grande Dame 2008: Pinot Noir from five Grand Cru villages. Four are in Montagne de Reims, with the grapes from Verzy and Verzenay, thanks to the vineyards’ northern exposures, offering freshness and tension to the wine; and those from Bouzy and Ambonnay, with their southern exposures, contributing richness and structure; while the floral Pinot Noir from Ay, grown on the banks of the Marne River, added a final touch. The blend was completed by an 8% of Chardonnay from Le Mesnil sur Oger, sunny and intense grapes grown in a deep, chalky soil that gave saline energy and elegance to the wine.

It is interesting to recall that many of the 350 hectares of vineyards that the Maison owns and the grapes from which are selected for the Grande Dame blend, were actually acquired by Madame Clicquot herself beginning in 1816. These are unique terroirs cultivated under the firm and delicate hand of Dominique Demarville. Using their grapes from the magnificent 2008 harvest, he has created a little-big revolution in the history of the Maison with the goal of achieving utmost expression of elegance and finesse in a Champagne that will certainly draw the attention of wine lovers.

La Grande Dame 2008

98/100 – € 160

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