La Grande Dame Rosé is a tribute to Madame Clicquot, known as the ‘Great Lady of Champagne’. This is a rare bottle from the 1998 vintage, a blend of 53% Pinot Noir, 32% Chardonnay and 15% red wine, aged for 8 years on the lees. Quality and quantity of the harvest surpassed expectations in 1998, with grapes showing good health, sugar and acid levels.

Weather in 1998: An extremely cold winter, with snow on the Montagne de Reims, gave way to an unexpected warm spell with moderate rain showers. Spring was early and wet, but May was particularly hot and dry. The rain we had at the end of June didn’t affect flowering, which took place under excellent, almost heat wave, conditions. At the beginning of summer there were alternating periods of hot weather then rain which encouraged rapid growth. August was perfect for ripening: dry and sunny. After a grey and cloudy two weeks at the beginning of September, the weather turned, providing the ideal dry climate to harvest the grapes, which were in superb condition.