Wine Advisor
Moet & Chandon, Grand Vintage 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2012 Grand Vintage is a very pretty, high-toned Champagne. Surprisingly nervous for this radiant vintage, the 2012 is going to need a bit of time to be at its best. Some of that may be attributable to early release of the 2012, which was bottled after only five years on its lees rather than the more customary seven or so because the house did not bottle either a 2010 or 2011 Grand Vintage, and the necessities of the market are what they are. Lemon confit, white flowers, and mint gradually open up in the glass. This is an especially taut style for the Grand Vintage, which is usually creamier and more open-knit in the early going. The blend is 41% Chardonnay, 36% Meunier and 33% Pinot Noir. Dosage is 5 grams per liter. Disgorged: February, 2018.
About the Producer
When King Charles VII knighted brothers Jean and Nicolas Moet in 1446, he established a lineage that would later be named for one of the most beautiful legends in the history of Champagne. As early as 1743, the wine merchant Claude Moët founded the Moët & Chandon Champagne distillery, which soon earned an important reputation in the great courts of Europe. His grandson, Jean-Remy Moet, made Moet & Chandon an icon of international luxury and a symbol of celebration. Jean-Remy Moet was awarded the Legion of Honor by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who visited the estate in Epernay on several occasions, and to whom the estate's iconic champagne, Moet & Chandon Imperial, pays tribute. Legend has it that the act of opening a bottle of Moët & Chandon with a sword was invented by Napoleon and his troops to celebrate a victory. Thanks to the genius of the family, Moët & Chandon has embodied the charm of its champagne and shared it with the whole world for more than two and a half centuries now. Since 1987, the winery has been owned by the LVMH group. Each year, it undergoes a rigorous selection of terroirs, and cellar master Benoit Gouez seeks to amplify the uniqueness of one vintage after another.
