Veuve Clicquot : Extra Brut Extra Old

The freshness and complexity of an innovative champagne

The estate

Today, Veuve Clicquot has become a brand with worldwide success. It is the story of a Champagne house whose myth was created by one woman: Madame Clicquot. A brilliant and bold woman, she successfully imposed herself in the business world and became known as "La Grande Dame de la Champagne’’, ‘’the Great Lady of Champagne". Guided by an innate sense of innovation and a perpetual quest for perfection, she invented the riddling table and marketed the first blended rosé champagne. Veuve Clicquot has turned this uncompromising requirement into her motto: "Only one quality, the finest". The Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne house was a pioneer in deciding to adorn its bottles with a yellow-orange label, the design was registered in 1877.

The vineyard

Comprising 390 hectares of land, Veuve Clicquot has one of the largest vineyards in Champagne. This vineyard boasts an exceptional quality, as it is spread over 12 out of the 17 Grands Crus and 20 out of the 44 Premiers Crus of the Champagne region.

The wine

An exceptional champagne that pays tribute to the talented, visionary and innovative Madame Clicquot, Veuve Clicquot's Extra Brut Extra Old is the fruit of the meticulous work carried out by Dominique Demarville, the House's Cellar Master.

Resolutely innovative, Veuve Clicquot's Extra Brut Extra Old is made from a blend of reserve wines from 1988, 1996, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Dominique Demarville has thus chosen to blend their history’s finest wines and produce a prestigious cuvée that embodies the quintessence of Carte Jaune.

Vinification and ageing

This cuvée comprises the finest terroirs of Champagne and is made up of some twenty different crus (Grands Crus, Premiers Crus) from the Montagne de Reims, the Côte des Bar, the Côte des Blancs, the Marne and Ardre Valleys and the Massif de Saint-Thierry.

The reserve wines are aged in vats for 3 years. Once the foam has set, the bottles are left to age for a further three years before being disgorged in the House’s cool and shaded chalk cellars.

The blend

The blend of Veuve Clicquot Extra Brut Extra Old is made from Pinot Noir (50 to 55%), Chardonnay (28 to 33%) and Pinot Meunier (15% to 20%).

Veuve Clicquot’s Extra Brut Extra Old: Characteristics and tasting tips

The tasting

When relished, Veuve Clicquot Extra Brut Extra Old offers the experience of an exceptional champagne that offers both a rare and great complexity.

Colour

The intense colour is speckled with golden highlights, enhancing the string of very fine bubbles.

Nose

The aromatic bouquet evolves into notes of candied citrus fruits while developing beautiful notes of ripe stone fruits.

Palate

This champagne, dosed at 3g/L, highlights the rich and full-bodied character of the reserve wines that make up the blend, while retaining a pleasant freshness and a rare aromatic purity.

Food and wine pairing

A gourmet champagne, Veuve Clicquot's Extra Brut Extra Old can be enjoyed with surprising and daring pairings such as mature cheeses, seafood, fish and noble meats, or mushroom-based dishes.