Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Grande Dame 2015

This graceful Champagne offers hints of smoke and toasted brioche that transition to patisserie apple and blackberry fruit, candied ginger and mandarin orange peel notes. Seamlessly knit and mouthwatering, with a minerally underpinning and a finely detailed, dotted bead. Lush and creamy on the vibrant, lasting finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2035.

The 2015 La Grande Dame is bright and nicely focused. There's good energy driving a core of Pinot Noir fruit. Pear, white flowers, mint, white pepper and lime are nicely delineated. The 2015 is not the most complex Grande Dame I have ever tasted, but it offers plenty of immediacy with no vegetal notes or hard contours that have proven so challenging elsewhere. This is an expertly made Champagne by any measure. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. Disgorged: October, 2021.

This fine Champagne is rich and beautifully structured. It is full with fine maturity, boasting layers of ripeness against the generous texture. Drink this impressive wine now.

The 2015 Brut La Grande Dame is turning out well today, evoking aromas of spring blossom, spring flowers, lemon oil, spices and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, elegant and seamless, it has a deep core of fruit with a lively spine of acidity and a saline, mineral finish.