Directly from the historical portions of the vineyards of the Veuve clicquot in Champagne, France, 2018 crop from La Grande Dame It arrives this month in Brazil with its characteristic orange packaging. This is the 25th edition of the brand’s most emblematic champagne, born only in exceptional harvests.
The line was first presented at Maison’s bicentenary in 1972, with a 10 -year crop from 1962.
After 56 years, the newest crop deserved to extend the legacy of the label: the year 2018 was marked by a rainy winter and a long, hot and sunny summer, conditions that resulted in a high quality harvest . The challenge, however, was to reap the grapes at the same time and in the ideal conditions.
“It was a challenging year, because we had a lot of grapes. We need more than two thousand people to manually get them in a window of two to three days,” he says Emmanuel Gouvernet , Veuve clicquot winemaker who was in São Paulo and Curitiba in mid -May to celebrate the arrival of Prestige Cuvée in national lands.
After seven years maturing in the wineries of the winery, La Grande Dame 2018 enters the national market with suggested price of R $ 1,600 and with custody potential of over 15 years. The drink prolongs the legacy of MADAME CLICQUOT In viticulture and, once again, emphasizes the passion of the “big lady of Champagne” for Pinot Noir.
Paint and white grapes
The 2018 crop follows the steps of what started to be done a decade before: the drink is composed of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay . “Our paint grapes give the best white wines,” Madame Clicquot said about Pinot Noir.
In fact, the grape benefits from cold and limestone soils from the Reims Montagne area, Champagne Sub-region, in northeastern France. “La Grande Dame is the expression of terroir, of course, but it is also special because of the vintage. The weather conditions were different and then the Pinot Noir expression was different,” says Emmanuel.
As the drink is made from the same historical lot, it is possible to compare it vertically, ie tasting different harvests of the same champagne. Before 2018, the latest crops were 2015 and 2012.
“La Grande Dame 2018 is full -bodied, with a private and rounded texture, with velvety tannins thanks to Pinot Noir. It has good maturity, is fruity and has pronounced acidity. At the same time it is elegant, has finesse, accuracy and depth,” describes the winemaker.
Nose and mouth
Fresh apricot aromas, white pepper, a little jasmine and mint can come to the nose. In a bowl, he may start shy, but he blooms aromas and flavors after about five minutes.
Ideally served between 10 and 12ºC, Champagne harmonizes with raw fish, caviar, oysters and mussels, as well as with what Veuve Clicquot calls “garden gastronomy”, with emphasis on vegetables and philosophy ” Farm to table.
It also fits well with a salmon to L’Oseille, an invention of the Troisgros family, which takes sour leaves and poorly past salmon on a substantial sauce that carries white wine and redness. It was served this during Emmanuel Gouvernet’s passage in the state capital.
The delight of harmonization recalls that time is one of the main allies of La Grande Dame. For Emmanuel, one of the 12 winemakers present at the time of the creation of this crop, the attempt to mix different lots of grapes and get the best of them was “magical”.
“We try to predict the future, because when we do the Blend de la Grande Dame we see the result only years later. It’s fabulous because we share this moment with colleagues. It’s a serious occasion, but we try to relax. It’s a creation full of emotion,” he reveals.
La Grande Dame 2018 Landing in Brazil for a suggested price of R $ 1,600 in the main high -end drink retailers.
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Source: CNN Brasil
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
