HOTEL PARTNERS

IN NUVO

The new cuvée is 90 per cent pinot noir using the finest black grapes and 10 per cent chardonnay. La Grande Dame 2012 follows the ethos of Madame Clicquot, who believed pinot noir has the broadest range of expression and potential to make the best champagne.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Less than a decade under her hand, Cécile Bonnefond transformed Veuve Clicquot into an international brand, putting it on the tables of kings and aristocrats, and almost single-handedly inventing the notion of champagne as the only proper beverage for important celebrations.

Champagne has a complex personality; it’s a beverage you ought to get to know and spend time with. Veuve Clicquot’s second annual Yelloweek provides a good opportunity to do so.

A few years ago, over a patio lunch at a restaurant in Toronto’s Yorkville district, Madame Cécile Bonnefond, the former president of Veuve Clicquot, made a lasting impression.

Over the past 15 years, as we roamed through the countryside, visited distilleries, and spoke to founding families, we discovered that history can in fact be bottled. As we celebrate our crystal anniversary, we toast to the stories of each producer—with a fine vintage, of course.