Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec NV (75cl)

The aromas of ripe fruit are very noticeable. With its equilibrium tending towards sweetness and fruited flavours, Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec goes particularly well with those desserts which have a fruit base: pear tarts, gratin aux agrumes, charlotte aux abricots. But equally, îles flottantes, crêpes Suzette, crème brûlée, nougat glacé, or France's traditional Twelfth Night cake, are perfect partners for this great Champagne.

After additional cellaring (two to three years, or even more in the right conditions), Demi-Sec develops yet richer notes of praline or toasts. It is then ideal with caramel- or praline-based desserts: Paris-Brest, tarte Tatin, pears with caramel etc. Do not hesitate to serve Demi-Sec from a carafe, as they did in Madame Clicquot's time. A few minutes in a previously chilled carafe will allow the wine to show off its rounded flavour, and all the splendour of its golden hue.

No fewer than 50 individual wines make up this cuvée. The traditional proportions for Demi-Sec are:

- 40 to 45 % Pinot Noir

- 30 to 35 % Pinot Meunier

- 20 to 25 % Chardonnay

The inclusion of 20 to 30 % of reserve wines ensures the consistency of the Veuve Clicquot style. These wines are kept apart, each one cellared individually, as befits its origin and age. The level of dosage - 45 g/l decided at the moment of dégorgement - results in a sweeter balance of flavours, while preserving the wine's inherent freshness.

Background Information:

In 1772, Philippe Clicquot founded a wine-making business under the name Clicquot. In 1798, his son François, who had taken over the family enterprise, married Barbe Nicole Ponsardin. At the time of François' death in 1805, the young 27-year-old widow decided to continue her husband's legacy. A woman of vision, she became the driving force behind the prestige and success of the brand, which in 1810 was renamed Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin.

Ever in pursuit of excellence and innovation, in 1816 Madame Clicquot invented the riddling table with the aim of obtaining clarified champagnes of unrivalled quality. She became known by her contemporaries as the "Grand Dame of Champagne", in recognition of her audacity and determination. Row by row, Madame Clicquot used her skills to develop an exceptional wine-growing territory, consisting of 515 hectares in the heart of the Champagne region's finest vineyard estates.

Today, both in France and abroad, the Veuve Clicquot brand continues to embody the values held dear by Madame Clicquot: modernity and audacity blended together with an emphasis on quality and expertise that are second to none.

Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec is perhaps the House's most "classical " champagne. From the close of the last century through to the early 1900s, there was a definitive preference for sweeter champagnes. As with all blends of Veuve Clicquot, the Demi-Sec is based on a preponderance of Pinot Noir, which gives Champagne its fundamental structure.

The desire for very distinct fruit favours in the blend indicated a higher level of Pinot Meunier than would be found in, for example, Brut Yellow Label. Chardonnay completes the blend, contributing its special freshness and delicacy.