Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2012 by Yayoi Kusama 75cl

"With its highly capricious weather, few could have predicted the outcome of the 2012 harvest. But ultimately, the year’s warmth and sunshine prevailed to help define this exceptional vintage. A fine example of the La Grande Dame style, this cuvée perfectly expresses the radiant maturity of the 2012 harvest and the finesse and complexity of Pinot Noir. In the spring, rainfall was 60% above average, followed by late frost and severe hailstorms that devastated more than 1,000 hectares of Champagne vineyards. After a difficult start to the season and multiple climatic vagaries (frosts, torrential rain, thunderstorms, hail, cold), mildness prevailed, and nature brought warmth and dry summer weather. The summer season established itself in mid-August with perfect sunshine conditions, very dry weather and high temperatures until the end of the harvest, producing high-quality grapes with good maturity and balance, similar to those of 1989 and 2002. Tastings of the base wines revealed depth, intensity, length and perfect balance. Despite the modest harvest in terms of quantity, this excellent quality convinced the Cellar Master to declare 2012 a vintage year and create a new edition of La Grande Dame. "