Veuve Clicquot x K-Way

Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin invented the riddling table in 1816 — the mechanical breakthrough that made mass-clarified Champagne possible — and it is that same obsession with consistency that defines Yellow Label NV two centuries later. The fruit is drawn from up to 50–60 crus, anchored by Grand Cru villages including Bouzy, Verzenay, Aÿ, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, where shallow chalk (craie) on hillside slopes forces vine roots deep, delivering natural drainage and high sun exposure that concentrate both fruit and structure.

Cellar Master Didier Mariotti assembles roughly 700–800 individual base wine samples per release, blending ~50–55% Pinot Noir, 28–33% Chardonnay, and 15–20% Pinot Meunier, with 25–50% reserve wines held up to 30 years. Alcoholic fermentation runs in stainless steel; full malolactic fermentation is carried out across the range, softening the chalk-driven acidity into a broad, generous texture. Since 2008, a proportion of base wines pass through large oak foudres for added complexity before assemblage. The blend then ages a minimum of 30 months on lees — double the AOC floor — in 24 km of UNESCO-listed chalk crayères beneath Reims, at stable temperature and humidity. Dosage is set at 9 g/L.

This K-Way limited-edition release presents the identical Yellow Label NV liquid in a collector jacket; the special feature is purely the object, not the cuvée — making it a rare case where the bottle itself is the transgression. Drink now through 2027.