"Immediately ultra fresh citrus, orchard fruit, blossom aromas. Steely almost, chalk and talc perfume too. Laser-like in the palate, structured and tense, still coats the mouth but in gossamer-like delicacy, finishes very fine and long. Reveals the hand of heavier pinot noir in faint strawberry wafts in the bouquet and in slender chalky tannin, the residual presence of very faint red fruits with soft sweetness. A hand print in sand. Very precise, so much detail to investigate in the mouth, and most important, spectacularly refreshing. A very good LGD vintage. 95+ points." - Mike Bennie
A tremendous sparkling from a stable that has the ability to micro manage the blends they use to create a house style that has become Veuve Clicquot. Complexity with bright acidity is the game here, and it has it for the full four quarters.
Accolades and Awards:
Tyson Stelzer: 97 2004 La Grande Dame follows 1998. This is a mind-boggling statement, considering the years in between. No other house, bar none, skipped these five vintages. The endorsement that this in itself places on 2004 in the Clicquot cellars cannot be overstated. And the wine delivers. My goodness, does it deliver! Close acquaintances of La Grande Dame will fondly recall the layered complexity of 1998. Six years younger, 2004 is breathtakingly pristine and youthful. Its defining feature is its minerality, its deep and all-pervading chalk. An exceedingly refined fruit profile is alive with energy and awe-inspiring persistence, uniting red fruits, lemon and grapefruit zest with a flicker of mixed spice and toast.
Nick Stock: 94 A very complex and powerful edition that really speaks of strong pinot noir fruits. The nose has dense, darker citrus, lemon, chalk and fresh, nutty complexity _ the palate is assertive and unevolved, really solid pinot drive here, and a gently toasty finish. Much more to come if cellared on cork.
Don't Pay: $255.00
WBW Rating: 98/100
Closure: Cork & Twist
Region: Champagne, France
