Veuve Clicquot : La Grande Dame Rosé 2012

The 2012 Brut Rosé La Grande Dame is the finest wine I've tasted from Veuve Clicquot in several decades. Offering up aromas of red berries, bee pollen, orange zest and freshly baked bread, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, with a deep core of fruit and a vibrant, tightly coiled profile, concluding with a penetrating, sapid finish. This isn't the muscular, powerful Clicquot style of yesteryear, but it's a compelling effort in a fine-boned, more polished register.

A firm, chalky version, with structure and texture similar to stiff lace—defined but detailed. Features flavors of blood orange, strawberry preserves, almond biscotti, and minerally oyster shell and smoke accents that are finely woven, rewarding the drinker with greater expression as this opens in the glass and on the palate. Lightly spiced, lingering finish. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Disgorged October 2019. Drink now through 2035.

The 2012 La Grande Dame Rosé is based on the same blend as the 2012 Blanc but with 13–15% still red wine from Bouzy. A Champagne of polish and sophistication, the 2012 exudes class. Crushed red berry fruit, blood orange, mint, spice and rose petals open first on the bouquet before the textural richness of Pinot takes over as the wine fleshes out on the mid-palate and finish. This is beautifully done. Disgorged: February 2021

A nose with red-fruit aromas, full of freshness, with lovely bitters on the palate and notes of fresh citrus, like a grand lady reclining in a garden on a spring morning.