Iconic Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama imagines a unique creation for the Maison Veuve Clicquot, celebrating its new vintage, La Grande Dame 2012.
This original creation is a tribute to the emblematic "grande dame of Champagne", Madame Clicquot. This is not the first meeting between these two women: in 2006, on the occasion of a charity auction in Tokyo, Yayoi Kusama had already given new life to the portrait of Madame Clicquot by playing with her famous polka dots. Today, the dialogue between the artist and the House continues and takes a new step through this creative collaboration. Yayoi Kusama draws inspiration from her iconic signatures, the pea and the flower, to reinterpret the new case and bottle of La Grande Dame 2012. With Veuve Clicquot and Yayoi Kusama, the year ends on a creative note.
La Grande Dame 2012: the Glory of Pinot Noir
Madame Clicquot is convinced that Pinot Noir is the grape variety with the widest range of expression and the greatest potential to create the finest champagne. It was her love of Pinot Noir that prompted her to acquire ten of the House's twelve emblematic plots, and since then, Pinot Noir has been Veuve Clicquot's signature grape, providing the structure and strength that are the hallmarks of the House's style, perfectly embodied in the cuvée La Grande Dame, a tribute to "the great lady of Champagne": Madame Clicquot. This grape variety requires the utmost expertise from the cellar master, the oenological team and the vineyard teams: it's all about detail and precision, because it's so delicate to work with. It expresses itself differently according to terroir, exposure and harvesting conditions. Didier Mariotti, Chef de Caves: "My work focuses on this harmony, this balanced blend that is difficult to achieve, excellent wines that magnify the strength, depth and delicacy of Pinot Noir". The heart of La Grande Dame is the excellence of Pinot Noir and the quality of the grapes from the Grands Crus and the Maison's historic parcels. These include Aÿ, for the Grande Vallée de la Marne, and Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay and Bouzy for the Montagne de Reims. At Veuve Clicquot, the quality of the Pinot Noir determines whether a year will be vintage, and the oenological prowess and harmony of La Grande Dame lies in its blend. Composed of 90% Pinot Noir, La Grande Dame embodies the House's love of Pinot Noir, magnified by 10% Chardonnay from the Grands Crus of Avize and Mesnil-Sur-Oger, in the Côte des Blancs. Thanks to its complex, harmonious composition, Grande Dame 2012 is a promise for years to come.
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