Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2006 (750ML)

95 DE / 94 WS / 94 WA / 94 JS / 17.5 JR

How does Veuve Clicquot’s cellarmaster Dominique Demarville do it? This high wire Prestige Cuvée act walks the tightrope with such confidence and ease. Unusually for the house, the blend is just 53% Pinot Noir and 47% Chardonnay but like every great champagne its ‘ying and yang’ are in perfect symmetry. So we have the volume, structure and depth balanced by the cut and thrust of the acidity. On the palate are layers of cream, honey, nuts, brioche, pear, marzipan and ginger. The texture is shimmeringly silky and full. The finish alone deserves an ovation and demands an encore. Bravo. - John Stimpfig, Decanter

Bright and graceful, this seamlessly knits a subtle streak of smoke tinged minerality with flavors of almond financier, poached pear, candied kumquat and creme de cassis, focused by vibrant acidity and a refined, creamy mousse. Disgorged January 2014. Drink now through 2030. -Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator

The prestigious 2006 La Grande Dame is made from 47% Chardonnay and 53% Pinot Noir, and assembles the fruit of eight grand cru villages. Very intense and complex on the nose, this is a full-bodied, round, rich and mouth-filling, but also refined prestige cuv'e; it reveals a fascinating purity, precision and freshness. The finish is long and complex, and shows a spicy minerality. There are coffee beans, bread and toast aromas in the aftertaste. This comes highly recommended. Honestly, I have never tasted better Champagnes from Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin than I did in March this year. The cuv'es were as fresh as they were complex, and I left the company with a sense of wonder. If only they could export their perfect storing capacities! La Grande Dame is the star, but it won't do you any harm taste or re-taste one of the 13.5 million bottles of the Yellow Label. I was also impressed by the white Vintage Brut 2008. - Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate

Pale straw. A little smoky and reductive on the nose but when a top-up is poured into the glass it brings out a lovely creamy delicacy, opening to minerally citrus. Very slightly toasty on the palate, with terrific fruit depth and concentration, cool deep citrus flavours, rich and mealy like a good burgundy but then with the Pinot structure and fruit increasing the weight. Full bodied, powerful, and terrific length thanks especially to the freshness, gently honeyed on the finish and elegant overall, irrespective of the power. This vintage includes the lowest proportion of Pinot Noir ever because they wanted to keep the elegance. - Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com