2004 La Grande Dame follows 1998. This is a mind-boggling statement, considering the years in between. No other house, bar none, skipped these five vintages. The endorsement that this in itself places on 2004 in the Clicquot cellars cannot be overstated. And the wine delivers. My goodness, does it deliver! Close acquaintances of La Grande Dame will fondly recall the layered complexity of 1998. Six years younger, 2004 is breathtakingly pristine and youthful. Its defining feature is its minerality, its deep and all-pervading chalk. An exceedingly refined fruit profile is alive with energy and awe-inspiring persistence, uniting red fruits, lemon and grapefruit zest with a flicker of mixed spice and toast. Moët Hennessy has kindly dropped the price in the past twelve months, though it seems retailers are yet to pass on the saving.