Veuve Clicquot | La Grande Dame 2015

For 250 years, Veuve Clicquot has spread its solaire culture across the world, standing out for its boldness, creativity, and innovation. For the new cuvée La Grande Dame 2015, the champagne house continues to assert its culture of optimism, this time through a collaboration with the Italian designer Paola Paronetto and master chefs around the globe. Join us as we attend the official launch in Switzerland at the table of Michelin-starred Chef Dario Cadonau.

The Legacy of Madame Clicquot

The story of Veuve Clicquot is one of constant reinvention, and yet it remains closely linked to the destiny of an exceptional woman: Madame Clicquot. Within just a few years, “la grande dame de la Champagne,” as she became known, created the first vintage champagne (1810), the riddling process, which is still used in Champagne today (1816), and the first known blended rosé champagne (1818). In homage to this grande dame, Maison Veuve Clicquot created its eponymous prestige cuvée.

Today, the cuvée La Grande Dame acts as the signature and showcase for Maison Veuve Clicquot’s wine making excellence and its savoir-faire. Madame Clicquot was particularly fond of Pinot Noir. She used to say:

Our black grapes give the finest white wines.

Madame Clicquot

This versatile grape variety expresses itself differently according to its terroir and the year in which it is harvested. It requires the finest expertise from the Cellar Master and his teams. Consequently, Veuve Clicquot decided to use at least 90% in their La Grande Dame cuvées.

La Grande Dame 2015

A solaire vintage, La Grande Dame 2015 is faithful to Madame Clicquot’s vision. Pinot Noir finds its greatest expression in this blend (+90%), enhanced by a touch of Chardonnay (10%). This cuvée is a feat of winemaking, with an immense aging potentiation of more than 15 years. It reveals its exceptional verticality thanks to the Pinot Noirs from the historic Crus of its terroir, which is among the most prestigious in Champagne: Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay, Bouzy, and Ay.

2015 was an exceptional year for Champagne. After a very mild winter, spring began with a particularly cold period, followed by high temperatures. In the month of June, plenty of sun and little rain produced a homogeneous flowering. The grapes harvested in mid-September, in the coolness of fall, have given birth to a great vintage.

La Grande Dame 2015 is all about tension and elegance. It offers freshness and minerality on the nose, with light floral notes of jasmine and acacia that evolve towards fruity notes of pear and clementine. In the mouth, its texture is subtle and silky.

Marie Charlemagne, Winemaker at Veuve Clicquot

For the new cuvée La Grande Dame 2015, Veuve Clicquot continues to assert its culture of optimism, this time through a collaboration with the Italian designer Paola Paronetto. A master of color, she has created a new collection of six gift boxes for Maison Veuve Clicquot in hues from her unique personal palette of more than 86 shades. Imbued with emotion, optimism and commitment, the whole is a symphony of colors that harmoniously blend together.

The Giganti

Internationally renowned artist Paola Paronetto is inspired by nature to create her works of art. She combines stylistic innovation and the traditions of ancient art with those of pottery. Over time, she has perfected an innovative technique that she calls Paper Clay, combining clay, cellulose fiber, and water. Always inspired by the beauty of the nature that surrounds her, Paola Paronetto sees colors as full and opaque, and has devised a palette of 86 tones that are her very own. The irregular shapes and raw texture of her objects create a graphic play of light that exalts the carefully chosen colors.

To accompany this collaboration, Paola Paronetto has also created a sculptural work: the “Giganti”, composed of three colored sculptures in the form of standing bottles, which express the meeting of nature and materials in a poetic and tangible way. They also accompany a unique three-bottle vertical comprising three exceptional vintages of La Grande Dame (2008 / 2012 / 2015).

The Giganti are the ultimate expression of La Grande Dame’s message of optimism for the world. The largest and most majestic of the three Giganti is in Clicquot yellow – a symbol of the sun and of new days dawning, conveying optimism and the conviction that anything is possible. In Switzerland, the IN LAIN Hotel Cadonau is the only place where the Giganti can be admired.

Interpretation by Dario Cadonau

Veuve Clicquot has teamed up with some of the world’s greatest chefs for a unique Garden Gastronomy experience: colors, textures, verticality, and gigantism are at the heart of the menu, reinterpreted for the occasion. In Switzerland, Michelin-starred Chef Dario Cadonau was invited to devise dishes where the combination of colors partners with the simplicity of the ingredients, always with fruit and vegetables taking center stage.

Together with his wife Tamara, Dario Cadonau runs the smallest 5-star superior hotel in Switzerland. The IN LAIN Hotel Cadonau is also home to one of the largest Veuve Clicquot cellars in Europe. Here, in the beautiful Engadin valley, we are invited to experience his culinary interpretation of the verticality and gigantism of Paola Paronetto’s artistic works.

The evening is all about generosity, conviviality, and abundance. While enjoying wonderful dishes, we listen to Marie Charlemagne, winemaker at Veuve Clicquot. She explains what sets a prestige cuvée like La Grande Dame apart from other champagnes and how the climate in 2015 impacted their approach to crafting the latest vintage.

Reflecting the optimism of Veuve Clicquot, an immersive and convivial table has been specially designed for the occasion. The lavish decoration of the VIVANDA restaurant reminds us of a local farmer's market. In this beautiful setup, the joyous, vividly colored dishes reflect the vision of a confident and sustainable gastronomy straight from the garden.

Cheers to grand cru grapes, locally grown grand cru vegetables and a great vintage 2015!