2015 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame Brut, Champagne

This is sleek and vivid with aromas of green apples, lemon peel, lime blossom, salted almonds and pastries on the nose. Medium-bodied and refreshing with lively acidity throughout and tiny bubbles. 90% pinot noir and 10% chardonnay. Drink or hold.

93 points jamessuckling.com

Created in 1972, La Grande Dame is Veuve Clicquot's prestige cuvée, named in honour of Madame Clicquot. Tasted in magnum, 2015 is a gastronmic style, kicking off with apple and citrus aromas, yeastiness and and pretty floral tones. The higher percentage of Pinot Noir in La Grande Dame gives a firm structure to the palate, which is rich and creamy with a clean streak of balancing acidity that persists on the finish. Elegant fruit – pear, mandarin, grapefruit – overlays rounder tones of dried pineapple, honey and nougat. Lovely freshness and energy.

95 points decanter.com

90 Pinot Noir /10 Chardonnay; disgorged October, 2021; dosage 6 g/l

A soft color and gentle mousse; the nose is at first flinty-reductive, oyster shell and green apple to the fore, red fruit hitherto intriguingly absent. The floral notes are next to appear; jasmine and a touch of honeysuckle; delicate and upstanding. A little aeration and a little more by way of revelation; a citric foundation, then a slow build of honey, nutmeg, and just a whisper of ginger. Subtle power, la force tranquille; the dance of the seven veils is well under way, this promising plenty of drama to come and a more than happy ending. 

94-95 points Simon Field MW worldoffinewine.com

The nose opens with smoky reduction and subtle creaminess; with more air, ripe lemon and hints of rye bread appear. The palate comes in with real freshness and fine, creamy mousse that intensifies that slightly flinty, reductive smokiness. The tiny bubbles burst against a textural backdrop and flavour of freshly baked, slightly peppery rye crumb, gently salty, that speaks of Pinot Noir structure. There is generosity and freshness and a mouth-watering finish. The bitterness Mariotti spoke of is very subtle and only appears as a most appetising feature on the finish, as the wine warms up. Elegant and fresh.

Anne Krebiehl MW

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame 2015 is the house’s prestige cuvée and a brilliant example of how the elegance and power of Pinot Noir can define a vintage Champagne. Named in honour of Madame Clicquot, known as “La Grande Dame of Champagne,” this cuvée celebrates her pioneering spirit and her role in shaping modern Champagne. The 2015 vintage was warm and sunny across Champagne, yielding ripe, concentrated fruit with vibrant structure, making it a vintage of both generosity and precision.

In the glass it is a brilliant pale gold with a fine, delicate bead and a creamy, persistent mousse. The nose is expressive and sophisticated, opening with aromas of white peach, apricot, and citrus zest layered with hints of toasted brioche, roasted hazelnuts, white flowers, and subtle chalky minerality. On the palate, it is precise and harmonious, combining the richness of ripe stone fruits and citrus oil with a tightly coiled mineral backbone. The texture is silky and layered, with a long, saline and nutty finish that unfolds slowly and gracefully.

The 2015 La Grande Dame is composed of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, sourced from eight historic Grand Cru vineyards, including Aÿ, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay, Bouzy, Avize, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. These sites give the wine both its depth and its unmistakable structure. Ageing for almost six years on lees before disgorgement adds complexity and creaminess, while a low dosage preserves the clarity of the vintage.

Food pairings match its refined power. Think lobster with citrus beurre blanc, roast chicken with truffle, scallop carpaccio, or aged Comté. It’s equally at home with luxurious aperitif service as it is anchoring a fine dinner. Cellar potential is exceptional at 15 to 20 years, evolving with layers of honey, toast, and spice over time while maintaining its elegant spine.

Veuve Clicquot’s La Grande Dame has long been one of Champagne’s most recognisable prestige cuvées, sitting comfortably alongside Krug, Cristal, and Dom Pérignon, but with a distinctive Pinot Noir-driven personality. Production is limited relative to the house’s non-vintage wines, and allocations can be tight for strong vintages like 2015.

Culturally, La Grande Dame carries the legacy of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, who took over the house at 27 and transformed it into a global symbol of quality. Her innovations, including the riddling table, revolutionised Champagne production and remain central to the region’s identity today.

Meta description: Fun fact: Madame Clicquot’s innovations in the early 1800s shaped modern Champagne — her invention of the riddling table remains the backbone of traditional méthode champenoise today, making La Grande Dame as much a piece of history as a wine.