2012 Veuve Clicquot, Brut La Grande Dame Rose

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. ~ (94) William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 8-31-2022

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. ~ (95) Wine Spectator, Wine Spectator 12-15-2022