1996 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame
Price: $99.98 (what a bargain!)
Purchased at: BJs Wholesale Club
The prestige cuvée from the notoriously popular Veuve Clicquot, La Grande Dame, lives up to the name and the reputation of the stellar 1996 vintage. This bottle was acquired earlier this year and put in storage for a special occasion. It is a blend of 65% Pinot Noir, 7% Pinot Meunier, and 28% Chardonnay.While I’m not a big fan of their NV, I am a big fan of the ‘96 vintage in Champagne and had to grab it at the significant discount.
Upon pouring, it was a beautiful straw color, showing little indication of its age. Bubbles were very tiny (indicating excellent quality and storage) and the nose was filled with almond, toast and faint hints of molasses. Upon first sip, you could feel the weight which is a signature of the house, yet the acidity kept it from being stiff and heavy on the palate. It made me think of Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) ballet dancing in The Game Plan. Flavors on the palate were dominated by citrus, primarily lemon and hints of white grapefruit. Overall, I found the wine to have more interesting aromatics than it did in the flavors. Perhaps this was opened too early and perhaps it would have been disappointing if the price had been full retail (think $150). Overall, it was a very good wine, but I’ve had others from the vintage which were better.
Overall rating: Excellent quality, but give it another 3 to 4 years to give the palate more time to unwind and catch up with the aromatics.
Food pairing: Sushi (spicy tuna, yellowtail with scallion, salmon with asparagus, & salmon nigiri) and potstickers (shrimp with vegetable)
