Description:

Decanter 96

"The Veuve Clicquot 2008 is VC Chef de Caves Dominique Demarville's first solo vintage. Near perfect wine, patina of seasoned spice of subtle oak. Elegant and complex Champagne with plenty of fine mousse and flavours of toast, smoke and roasted fruit notes to balance the fresh acidity. A refined and refreshing fullbodied wine in a gastronomic style with the potential to drink well for many years."

John Gilman 94+

"The 2008 Veuve Clicquot Brut Millsime is the first bottling here to include five percent barrel-fermented vins clairs since the estate transitioned away from foudres for stainless steel tanks all the way back in the 1960s. The blend on the '08 is sixty-one percent Pinot Noir, thirtyfour percent Chardonnay and five percent Pinot Meunier. The wine is pure, youthful and stunningly precise on the nose, offering up scents of tart apple, bread dough, complex minerality, gentle smokiness and a lovely saline element in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and very racy, with a great core, zesty acids, refined mousse and outstanding length and grip on the very long and still quite youthful finish. This is approachable today, but will be even better with five or six years in the cellar. This is Chef de Cave Dominique Demarville's first vintage bottling since his arrival here in 2006. Impressive! 2016-2040+."

James Suckling 93

"A very upright, fresh and youthful vintage for Clicquot with lemon citrus, peach and almond nougat aromas. The palate has a brisk acid punch - assertive in 2008. Crisp lemon and peach fruit flavors hold bright, and there is some oyster shell chalkiness, too, leading into a warming, grilled nut-flavored finish. Drink now." (October, 2017)

Wine Advocate (Stephan Reinhardt) 92

"Assembling 35% Chardonnay, 5% Meunier and 60% Pinot Noir, the 2008 Vintage Brut is one of the rare vintage Champagnes of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin and it follows the earlier releases of 1999, 2004 and 2012. Disgorged in March 2015 with eight grams dosage, the bright colored 2008 has a very clear, fresh, pure and intense, as well as complex nose, with brioche, biscuit and prominent Chardonnay aromas. Pure, dry, straight and elegant on the palate, this is a refreshing and lifted, but also complex and expressive Brut. It also has tension, grip and a stimulating salinity in the finish. This Champagne is excellent and should be served with seafood." (June, 2016)

Wine & Spirits 91

Broad, rich and toasty, this wine brings to mind the scents of a meadow in notes of Queen Annes lace. Those earthy notes add weight and depth to the bright flavors of pear and lime, with firm acidity to offset the fruit ripeness. Classical in style, this is structured to age.

Wine Enthusiast 93

"A lively mousse is the starting point for this wine. It is intensely rich, dense and still young, with a soft background to the ripe white fruits that are cut with lime. From a vintage year whose wines need to age, this follows the pattern, so wait at least until 2018." (December, 2016)

Wine Spectator (Alison Napjus) 93

"A vivid version, like raw silk on the palate, with a powerful frame of acidity well-meshed with saline-tinged, minerally underpinnings and flavors of black currant, apricot, almond biscotti and crystallized honey. Disgorged February 2016. Drink now through 2030." (August, 2017)