Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label, Magnum 1.5L, Reims

Lemony richness on the nose, a struck match character that falls in with lemon vanilla note. Toffee apple allure on the palate with chalky coolness & savoury nutty finish. Drinking Window 2020 - 2025

94 points Simon Field MW decanter.com Oct 2020

Grapes from 50 to 60 different crus, or growing areas, are used to produce the Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label: 50-55% Pinot Noir ensures the structure so typical of the House wines. 15 to 20% Pinot Meunier rounds out the blend. 28% to 33% Chardonnay provides the elegance and sophistication essential to a perfectly balanced wine. A high proportion of priceless reserve wines (between 25% and 40%) ensures the continuity of the House style.

It takes Demarville and his team four months of daily tastings to make Yellow Label, tasting 2000 different wines and selecting 400–500 to make up the final blend. Their expertise is reflected in a gentle trajectory of refinement over recent years. Pinot noir leads out confidently with red apple, red cherry and mixed spice, over a toasty and bready backdrop of bottle-derived complexity, finishing with subtle phenolic grip and good persistence. Lively acid line and wellintegrated dosage make for a well-assembled, accurate and appealing apéritif. The 2008 base is still the best ever, but for a difficult season, the 2010 is a more than laudable achievement at this volume.