The 2012 Veuve Clicquot Vintage Champagne is a highly-rated, rich, and complex expression of a challenging but high-quality harvest, known for its balance of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Meunier, featuring notes of baked apple, citrus, toasty vanilla, and almond, with a full body and long finish, making it suitable for enjoying now or aging. A unique aspect of this vintage is that 11% of the blend was aged in large wooden casks (foudres) for added depth, spice, and aromatic intensity. 

Key Characteristics
Blend: 51% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier, primarily from Grand & Premier Cru vineyards.
Winemaking: 11% aged in large oak casks (foudres) for spice and vanilla notes; some fermentation in barrel.
Tasting Notes: White peach, mirabelle tart, candied citrus, roasted pears, fresh almond, hazelnut, honey, brioche, subtle woody notes, and a chalky finish.
Palate: Fresh, full-bodied, rich, with a long, smooth finish.
Vintage Context: A prodigious harvest despite challenging weather (heavy spring rain, frost, hail), leading to excellent quality with great aging potential.
Pairing: Hearty foods, shellfish, creamy cheeses, roasted meats, or sharp/tangy foods

Vintage 2012 is the expression of a prodigious harvest, despite an extremely challenging climate. In spring, the region faces a heavy rainfall of 60% above the average of the season, followed by late frost, finally, a series of severe hailstorms ruined more than 1,000 hectares of the overall Champagne vineyard. Then, summer comes around mid-August and brings ideal sunny conditions, very dry weather and high temperature until the end of the harvest. Despite those damages which leads to a pretty modest harvest, quality is optimum revealing a great aging potential for the wines. Naturally, 2012 is declared a Veuve Clicquot Vintage and became the House’s 66th since its first vintage of 1810. As with every Veuve Clicquot champagne, Pinot Noir dominates the blend (51%) exclusively from Grands and Premier Crus from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne (Verzy, Verzenay, Ludes, Ambonnay, Bouzy, Tauxières, Avenay and Aÿ).

The Chardonnay comes entirely from the Côte des Blancs (Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Vertus) and makes up 34%. Then 15% of Meunier from the Montagne de Reims (Ludes) and the Vallée de la Marne (Dizy) brings roundness to this cuvée. The uniqueness of the Veuve Clicquot Vintage collection remains in the addition of wines aged in large oak casks, bringing strength and aromatic intensity. The dominance of Pinot Noir and the wooden touch deliver structure and character, trademark of the Veuve Clicquot’s style.