As with every vintage, this wine is a reflection of the year's weather and climate. 2012 ended wonderfully with the grapes maturing in ideal conditions.

In 1810, Madame Clicquot invented the first Vintage Champagne, in 2012 Veuve Clicquot declared the 65th vintage of the Maison.

As with every Veuve Clicquot champagne, Pinot Noir dominates (61%) and provides the structure that is so typically Veuve Clicquot, followed by Chardonnay (34%) that adds finesse and elegance essential in a perfectly balanced wine, and then Meunier (5%) that rounds out the blend. To complete the cuvée, 14% Bouzy red Pinot Noir red wine is added. New to Vintage Rosé 2012 is that 5% of the wines were produced and aged in wooden casks (foudres) from forests in Central France, and this addition increases the champagne’s strength and aromatic richness. The cask-aged wines act as spices to the blend, bringing very lightly woody, vanilla and toasted aromas.

TASTING NOTES

The clear, taut flavour moves into a more full-bodied, structured and energetic palate. Its minerality reveals generous red fruit aromas from the Pinot Noir (Morello cherry) combined with notes of slightly candied citrus fruit from the Chardonnay. Hints of sweet pastries point to the wine's long and slow maturation on lees.