VEUVE CLICQUOT La Grande Dame 2012

VM: 94

The 2012 La Grande Dame is a pretty wine, but it is starting to show the first signs of aromatic development. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something readers should keep in mind when deciding when to open this. I would not push my luck on aging. Dried pear, ginger, crushed flowers and spice fill out the layers nicely in a gentle, open-knit Champagne to drink over the next 5-10 years. Disgorged: February, 2021.

WS: 95

Fine and graceful, this dances across the palate with its bright, well-defined freshness and detailed flavors of Mandarin orange, toast point, crème de cassis and minerally oyster shell. Subtle in its intensity, with all the pieces seamlessly knit into an elegant whole. Disgorged September 2019. Drink now through 2030.