Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Reserve Vintage 1996

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Starting at: $36.99 USD

4 Reviews

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Winery:

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin

Varietal:

Champagne Blend

Region:

France > Champagne > Montagne & Val de Reims > Grande Montagne de Reims > Reims

Type:

Sparkling Wine

Color:

White

Drink Dates:

Drink Now

UPC:

 

User Tags:  fruit, hazelnut, nutty, mediterranean and subtropical fruits, floral, mineral, citrus, smooth, drink now, finish - long 

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What to Expect

Champagne is specifically a sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France; every other sparkling is simply that, sparkling wine. Made to be aged for a few to many years, in many languages "Champagne" is synonymous with "party". When young, Champagne exhibits the fresh fruit tones of its "cepage", or blend. Usually based on a blend the features either Chardonnay or Pinot Noir as its main ingredient, Champagne's fruit can range from citrusy to orchard fruits and even red berries. The wine gains distinct yeasty notes from its secondary fermentation, the one that adds the fizz, which is typically described as recalling brioche or bread. As it ages Champagne tends to lose its obvious fruit, which is replaced by subtle nutty tones and subdued elements of dried fruits.

Winemakers Notes

VINTAGE RESERVE 1996

THE VINTAGE
The winter of 1996 is very cold, temperatures reach –15°C without however damaging
the vines. The spring is dry and sunny, budding starts between 20th and 24th April depending on the grape varieties. May is dull and cool and some spring frosts damage
the Champagne vineyards. The Veuve Clicquot vineyards are spared: thanks to their
location on the slopes, they are not too sensitive to this type of frosts. July is very dry and the second fortnight almost leads to a drought situation for the vineyards. Some salutary rains in late read more...August bring back optimum conditions for the growth of the vine. The harvest starts on September 16th for the early villages. Harvest conditions are excellent: dry and hot weather. Never in living memory has such a great balance been reached in Champagne between maturity (10° GL) and acidity (10 g/L in H2SO4). The very dry weather conditions have naturally concentrated the components of the grape. The first tastings are very promising and are the signs of long-keeping wines.

THE CUVÉE
The Vintage Reserve 1996 is composed of 59% of pinot noir, 8% of pinot meunier (i.e.
two thirds of black grapes), and 33% of chardonnay. The choice of the origin of the grapes is of prime importance: only 20 Crus, exclusively Grands and Premiers Crus, are used in the blending of this cuvée. They are located in the Montagne de Reims, the Grande Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs.

THE TASTING
The Vintage Reserve 1996 shows a beautiful deep gold color, with slight green hues.
The sparkle is lively and persistent. The nose is expressive and complex. The first impression is of citrus, yellow fruit (peach, apricot, mirabelle plum) together with subtle dry fruit aromas (hazelnut, almond) and spices (cinnamon, vanilla, honey).
In the mouth, it is very full and well structured, and for its age, still dominated by
freshness, truly representative of the 96 vintage. Richness and intensity are
wonderfully associated. The remarkable balance means that this champagne will keep for a exceptional length of time. The lingering impression of volume and power definitely place this vintage 1996 in the true Veuve Clicquot style. In its youth, a great aperitif wine, and in a few years it will be a wonderful champagne on your table, where it will be the perfect match for seawater fish (Bass, Turbot, John Dory). This vintage 1996 will probably be listed along with the mythical Clicquot vintages, for which only a long aging will bring out the numerous aspects of this wine. As for its famous predecessors, age will have become a virtue.    (hide)

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