Moët & Chandon : Grand Vintage 2012

A great vintage champagne

The producer

The House of Moet & Chandon was founded in 1743 by Claude Moët, a visionary wine merchant, who quickly made Moet Chandon a reference in the highest courts of Europe. A few years later his grandson, Jean-Rémy Moët, developed the reputation of the house internationally.

Jean-Rémy Moët notably created the iconic cuvée of the house, the Moet and Chandon Imperial, in honor of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who visited the estate on several occasions and who allegedly invented the tradition of bashing open a bottle of Moët Chandon champagne to celebrate a victory with his troops.

Owned by the LVMH group since 1987, the Moet and Chandon Champagne House produces, from a very rigorous selection of Champagne terroirs, unique cuvées recognized across borders for their quality and for their seductive personality.

The wine

74th vintage of the house Moët & Chandon since the first, in 1842, Champagne Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2012 offers the personal interpretation of the Cellar Master, Benoît Gouez on this delicate and fascinating year.

Moët & Chandon's Champagne Grand Vintage is only produced during fine years. This wine of Champagne is the symbol of the spirit that presides over the creation of each Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage. It is the fruit of a personal interpretation of the year's composition and is the result of a rigorous selection of the year's wines, resulting in champagnes that stand out for their singularity, complexity and ageing potential.

The vintage

Qualified as a ''Champagne miracle", the year 2012 will be remembered in Champagne. Following various climatic vagaries that put the vineyard to a severe test, the magnificent month of August came to announce a harvest beyond expectations with sweet grapes, good acidity and a good phenolic potential. These indicators left no doubt as to the omen of the birth of a very great year similar to the 1966, 1989 or 2002 vintages.

Vinification and ageing

This champagne was aged for a minimum of 5 years in the cellars of Moët & Chandon. The ageing time after disgorgement is 6 months and the dosage is 5 g/litre.

The blend

Grand Vintage 2012 by Moët & Chandon is a blend of Chardonnay (41%), Pinot Noir (33%) and Pinot Meunier (26%).

Grand Vintage 2012: Characteristics and tasting tips

The tasting

Colour

The colour is a beautiful pale yellow with green highlights. The effervescence is fine and persistent.

Nose

The nose reveals fragrances of fresh white flowers, delicious pastry notes, fresh walnut, hazelnut and rusk. When aerated, the bouquet becomes more complex and gives off aromas of ripe fruit (pear, white peach, nectarine).

Palate

A soft and delicate attack gives way to a seductive palate due to its texture, its beautiful acidity and its persistence. The finish harmoniously blends iodine and acidic notes with pink grapefruit aromas.