START YOUR SPRING WITH A GLASS OF VEUVE CLICQUOT
Yelloweek — May 1-7 — will let Champagne fans try a true classic in city restaurants
Champagne conjures up images of extravagance and corkpopping celebrities. The Veuve Clicquot brand is easily the most recognizable on the market and this week I had the pleasure of meeting with winemaker/ oenologist from the House of Clicquot, the charming Bertrand Varoquier.
The winery has a remarkable tale that began in 1772 with Philippe, the founder of the winery, who then passed the reins to his son Francois. After his untimely death in 1805, his wife, Madame Clicquot, at the age of 27, took over her husband’s wine business. Her legacy has been preserved and the wines are made the same today.
Remember that all sparkling wines can’t be referred to as Champagne. They must be from a specific region in France — Champagne. This region has unique soil that was originally a sea bed, full of decomposed sea life including shells, creating a unique chalk layer that runs through it, absorbing the heat of the daylight sun to keep the vines cool at night. The only grapes permitted are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.
The process of making Champagne (non-vintage) involves blending both vineyards and vintages to maintain a “house style” and consistency. They are not cheap, but consider these factors — cellaring is done for you at the winery, they are released when ready to drink, the winemaking process is extremely laborious and of course, there is supply and demand to consider.
To determine how dry a bottle of Champagne is, just check the label. But it can be a confusing scale — the driest style is brut nature (almost no detectable sweetness), then extra brut, brut, extra-dry (weird, but sweeter than brut), dry (sec), mediumdry (demi-sec) and then sweet (doux).
If a bottle of Veuve Clicquot isn’t in the budget this month, mark your calendar — May 1-7 is officially Yelloweek. Restaurants throughout the city will be pouring Veuve by the glass.
VEUVE CLICQUOT BRUT YELLOW LABEL CHAMPAGNE $72
This has been the flagship wine of the house since 1772 and it’s easily the most recognizable Champagne label in our market. Made from grapes of several vintages with more than 50 Crus (vineyards), mostly Pinot Noir with both Meunier and Chardonnay and about 35 per cent reserve wines added. A very aromatic wine with loads of pure ripe fruits such as crisp McIntosh apples, fresh pear, slightly under-ripe peach and a creaminess on the palate. Classic and consistent. Perfect as an aperitif or serve with simple dishes and seafood.
VEUVE CLICQUOT EXTRA BRUT EXTRA OLD CHAMPAGNE $105
This exceptional wine is soon to be launched in Alberta — this is the ultimate Yellow Label wine — drier than the Brut, made with six top reserve wines from their cellar: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 1996 and 1988. Predominately Pinot Noir with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. A full-bodied expression with depth that’s a “rich, complex wine with precise purity and minerality — unique.” Layered with flavours including mushroom, fresh baked white bread, candied lime and peach. Pair this one with comte cheese, sea bass, veal and mushrooms. I’m putting a case of this in my cellar.
VEUVE CLICQUOT ROSE CHAMPAGNE $82
Brut Yellow Label’s blend is the base of this rose, a blend of about six different harvests from more than 50 vineyards (crus), composed mostly of Pinot Noir, with Meunier and Chardonnay and then … a still red wine is added! Madame Clicquot introduced the technique in 1818 of adding a still red wine to Champagne and it’s still used on more than 95 per cent of the rose Champagne produced today. Expressive aromas of ripe wild strawberries balanced with a crisp freshness and a hint of pastry. Pair with tuna, beef carpaccio, duck and tomatoes. Varoquier said they are “looking for the pleasure of the fruit right now. Very enjoyable and very drinkable.” I couldn’t agree more.
VEUVE CLICQUOT 2006 LA GRANDE DAME CHAMPAGNE
“Stop the car!” Sorry, I had to, it’s that good and such a rarity that words can’t express just how good this is. The bottle itself is as beautiful as the wine, made from eight of their Grand Crus from a single harvest with the house style of predominately Pinot Noir with Chardonnay. It’s the 22nd release of this label and a spiritual experience of complexity, elegance, delicacy and freshness, “a glass will ask for another glass — the symbol of a great Champagne.” There are layers of aromas and flavours such as dried fruits, ripe stone fruits, baking spice, pastry, floral notes and toast. This wine pays homage to the Grande Dame of Champagne, Madame Clicquot, and her success as one the first business women of “modern times.”