2008 Veuve Clicquot la Grande Dame

The 2008 Champagne La Grande Dame is forward, with a luxurious perfume of honeysuckle, tropical fruit of papaya, and buttered citrus. The mousse is rounded, with an opulent texture, and it does finish dry, with orange marmalade, ripe melon, and chestnut. Its driving and impressive acidity will make this worthy to cellar and enjoy over the coming 20 years. Disgorged March 2019.

Still very youthful, this proves that pinot noir can give super-elegant, cool and tightly focused Champagne. Toastiness and spice build on the very long and tightly wound finish. Almost a blanc de noir with just 10% chardonnay blended into the overwhelming majority of pinot noir. Drink or hold.

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.