2012 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame Rose, Champagne

The 2012 Brut Rosé La Grande Dame is the finest wine I've tasted from Veuve Clicquot in several decades. Offering up aromas of red berries, bee pollen, orange zest and freshly baked bread, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, with a deep core of fruit and a vibrant, tightly coiled profile, concluding with a penetrating, sapid finish. This isn't the muscular, powerful Clicquot style of yesteryear, but it's a compelling effort in a fine-boned, more polished register.

94 points William Kelley robertparker.com

Maturity gives the wine toastiness while retaining the background of fine fruits and texture. It is an impressive Champagne, as always: rich while also balanced, with a touch of minerality. Drink the wine now.

95 points Roger Voss winemag.com