Limited Stocks. Price £175.00. Introduction: First launched in 1972 for Veuve Clicquot’s bicentennial, the rare and remarkable La Grande Dame champagne is a tribute to Madame Clicquot. And it has never been more audacious than the 2008 vintage   Tasting Notes: La Grande Dame 2008 has a surprising glint of light gold colour.Initially it reveals a strong attack, both aerial and delicate. Upon being released it presents notes of dried fruits (almonds, figs, apricots), ripe white fruits (pears), and finally, subtle toasted notes of hazelnut and praline. The luscious pastry notes are well balanced with the blend’s freshness and clarity. The attack is strong and sharp. La Grande Dame 2008 bestows a silky texture upon young fruits, carried by citrus and red fruit (cherry) notes. Winemaking: In his first La Grande Dame creation, Cellar Master Dominique Demarville reveals a blend with 92% Pinot Noir – the highest percentage in Veuve Clicquot’s history. The Cellar Master’s blend for La Grande Dame 2008 features 92% Pinot Noir from Veuve Clicquot’s historical Grands Crus in Aÿ, Ambonnay, Bouzy, Verzy and Verzenay. The 8% Chardonnay is from the House’s Grand Cru in Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger. Dosage: 6 g/l Ageing potential: 15 years Background Information: When Madame Clicquot took the reins of the House in 1805, she became one of the first businesswomen of modern times. Called la Grande Dame of Champagne by her peers, she led a life defined by her audacious, courageous choices such as shipping her excellent champagne around the world. Madame Clicquot’s innovative spirit led to many “firsts” in champagne: the first-known vintage champagne (1810), the riddling table (1816), and the first-known blended rosé champagne (1818). In 1772, Philippe Clicquot founded a wine-making business under the name Clicquot. In 1798, his son François, who had taken over the family enterprise, married Barbe Nicole Ponsardin. At the time of François’ death in 1805, the young 27-year-old widow decided to continue her husband’s legacy. A woman of vision, she became the driving force behind the prestige and success of the brand, which in 1810 was renamed Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. Ever in pursuit of excellence and innovation, in 1816 Madame Clicquot invented the riddling table with the aim of obtaining clarified champagnes of unrivalled quality. She became known by her contemporaries as the “Grand Dame of Champagne”, in recognition of her audacity and determination. Row by row, Madame Clicquot used her skills to develop an exceptional wine-growing territory, consisting of 515 hectares in the heart of the Champagne region’s finest vineyard estates. Today, both in France and abroad, the Veuve Clicquot brand continues to embody the values held dear by Madame Clicquot: modernity and audacity blended together with an emphasis on quality and expertise that are second to none. La Grande Dame is a unique wine, with its own place in history, and presented in a flawless bottle evoking the simplicity of traditional shapes. It is made from 8 historic Grands Crus.This wine has unbelievable ageing potential. The 1998 vintage of La Grande Dame, the quintessence of the Veuve Clicquot style, reaches a peak of refinement, without losing its legendary strength produced by a blend including nearly two-thirds of Pinot Noir.