95 Points Vinous
The 2015 La Grande Dame is bright and nicely focused. There’s good energy driving a core of Pinot Noir fruit. Pear, white flowers, mint, white pepper and lime are nicely delineated. The 2015 not the most complex Grande Dame I have ever tasted, but it offers plenty of immediacy with vegetal notes or hard contours that have proven so challenging elsewhere. This is an expertly made Champagne by any measure. Dosage is 6 grams per liter.
95 Points Wine Spectator
This graceful Champagne offers hints of smoke and toasted brioche that transition to patisserie apple and blackberry fruit, candied ginger and mandarin orange peel notes. Seamlessly knit and mouthwatering, with a minerally underpinning and a finely detailed, dotted bead. Lush and creamy on the vibrant, lasting finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2035.
95 Points Wine Enthusiast
This fine Champagne is rich and beautifully structured. It is full with fine maturity, boasting layers of ripeness against the generous texture.
95 Points Decanter
Created in 1972, La Grande Dame is Veuve Clicquot's prestige cuvée, named in honour of Madame Clicquot. Tasted in magnum, 2015 is a gastronmic style, kicking off with apple and citrus aromas, yeastiness and and pretty floral tones. The higher percentage of Pinot Noir in La Grande Dame gives a firm structure to the palate, which is rich and creamy with a clean streak of balancing acidity that persists on the finish. Elegant fruit – pear, mandarin, grapefruit – overlays rounder tones of dried pineapple, honey and nougat. Lovely freshness and energy.
95 Points Jeb Dunnuck
Since 2008, Veuve Clicquot has increased the Pinot Noir in this blend to 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay. The 2015 Champagne La Grande Dame is a bright silver/yellow hue and is fresh and ripe on the nose, with lovely purity. Medium to full-bodied, it has a refined and rounded mousse, wonderful length, and purity with a lot of freshness. Don’t sleep on these wines. Drink over the next 15-20 years. 6 grams per liter dosage.
94 Points Decanter
2015 shows off the sunny fruits of the year with more grip and intensity than the 2008 and 2012. Fleshy orange, red pear, dried pineapple and chewy grapefruit peel build on a firmly structured frame, although there is a suppleness of nougat and acacia honey lurking in the middle that promises to emerge with a little patience. The bustling energy of the vintage is sitting proud for now, bitter almond and fruit skin building to an energising close despite the moderate acidity. An edition that will perform especially well at the table. 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay from 8 Grand Cru villages. Dosage 6 g/L.
93 Points James Suckling
This is sleek and vivid with aromas of green apples, lemon peel, lime blossom, salted almonds and pastries on the nose. Medium-bodied and refreshing with lively acidity throughout and tiny bubbles. 90% pinot noir and 10% chardonnay.
Winemaker Notes
La Grande Dame 2015 is an exceptional vintage, full of tension and elegance. It showcases Pinot Noir from the house's historical Grands Crus. The beautiful, golden robe sparkles brightly, revealing a solar vintage with fresh minerality and light floral notes of jasmine and acacia on the nose, evolving into fruity notes of pear and clementine. The palate is enveloped in a delightfully subtle, silky texture. This vintage features an exclusive collaboration with master of color Paola Paronetto.
