Vintage vs. Non-vintage

My husband and I recently had the opportunity to taste 2012 Vintage Veuve Clicquot and non-vintage Veuve Clicquot side-by-side.

The 2012 vintage is Veuve Clicquot’s 66th vintage of the Maison, with grapes exclusively from Grands and Premiers Crus, 51% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier, The uniqueness of the Vintage 2012 lies in the addition of 11% of wines aged in large wooden casks (foudres), bringing strength and aromatic intensity. The cask-aged wines act as spices to the blend, bringing very lightly woody, vanilla and toasted aromas. Available locally at Mr. Bill’s Wine Cellar $112 range.

Our first impression of the 2012 vintage was that it was much lighter in color than the non-vintage Veuve.

The vintage did have the tiny bubbles one would expect in a vintage champagne. Notes of candied citrus, roasted pears, green hazelnuts and almond. Recommended food pairings: Veal, smoked scallops and crawfish.

The non-vintage “Yellow Label” Veuve Clicquot is the signature champagne of this champagne house. 50-55% Pinot Noir, 28-33% Chardonnay and 15-20% Pinot Meunier. It is aged for a minimum of 3 years in their Crayères. Available at your local wine shop and grocers $55 – $65 range.

Fresh and silky with notes of yellow and white fruits, vanilla and toasty brioche. This champagne makes a fabulous aperitif and pairs well with seafood, salmon and blinis, pasta and Parmesan.

Our overall impression was that we would serve the 2012 vintage Veuve Clicquot for a special occasion toast. We would more likely serve the non-vintage Veuve Clicquot at a dinner party or on a casual date night paired with – potato chips!

Champagne and Potato Chips!

I found these lovely Wine Chips – potato chips made specifically to serve with wine at Wine Gourmet in Roanoke, Virginia. ($13 range)

Available in four flavors:

Smoked Gouda – pair with Cabernet Sauvignon

Blue Cheese – pair with Sauvignon Blanc

Manchago – pair with rosé wine

Asiago – pair with Pinot Grigio

We paired our Vevue Clicquot with the Manchago Wine Chips and found it to be a lovely pairing. The chips are bold, cheesy and endlessly snackable.

Southern Spoonful Recipe Column ~ The Roanoker Magazine

You are invited to visit my Facebook page: Bubblybee

Please follow me on Instagram: cocktails_w_bubblybee

The post Veuve Clicquot – side by side Champagne tasting – love these bubbles appeared first on Bubbly Bee.