Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Brut Champagne 2012 with Gift Box

"It is with its iconic symbols, the flower and the polka dots, that  Yayoi Kusama adorns La Grande 2012 case and bottle. The polka  dots, Yayoi Kusama's signature patterns evoke the Champagne  bubbles. Created in honor of Madame Clicquot called "La  Grande Dame de Champagne” in her time, La Grande Dame  perfectly expresses the Maison’s love for Pinot Noir."

The Cuvee: With its highly capricious weather, few could have predicted the outcome of the 2012 harvest. But ultimately, the year's warmth and sunshine prevailed to help define this exceptional vintage. A fine example of the La Grande Dame style, this cuvee perfectly expresses the radiant maturity of the 2012 harvest and the finesse and complexity of Pinot Noir. 

In the spring, rainfall was 60% above average, followed by late frost and severe hailstorms that devastated more than 1,000 hectares of Champagne vineyards. After a difficult start to the season and multiple climatic vagaries (frosts, torrential rain, thunderstorms, hail, cold), mildness prevailed, and nature brought warmth and dry summer weather. The summer season established itself in mid-August with perfect sunshine conditions, very dry weather and high temperatures until the end of the harvest, producing high-quality grapes with good maturity and balance, similar to those of 1989 and 2002.

Tastings of the base wines revealed depth, intensity, length and perfect balance. Despite the modest harvest in terms of quantity, this excellent quality convinced the Cellar Master to declare 2012 a vintage year and create a new edition of La Grande Dame. La Grande Dame 2012 blend is made mainly from grapes from historical Grand Crus vineyards, among the most prestigious in Champagne. Pinot Noir dominates the blend at 90%, with grapes from Aÿ, Verzy, Verzenay, Ambonnay, Bouzy. The 10% Chardonnay comes from the Grands Crus Avize and Mesnil-sur-Oger.