In an exclusive South African unveiling, Veuve Clicquot presents its prestige cuvée, La Grande Dame 2015. Launching in June, the exceptionally sunny vintage celebrates the oenological signature of La Grande Dame 2015. Paola Paronetto created six sustainable gift boxes alongside “Giganti” sculptural works to mark the occasion. A master of colourful, paper-like ceramics, Paola offers a new artistic expression with hues from her unique personal palette, imbuing the collaboration with emotion, optimism and commitment.
Maison Veuve Clicquot’s eponymous prestige cuvée La Grande Dame honours Madame Clicquot
For over 250 years, Maison Veuve Clicquot has celebrated the audacious, creative and innovative legacy of Madame Clicquot. Within just a few years, “La Grande Dame de la Champagne,” as she became known, created the first vintage champagne (1810), the riddling process (1816), and the first known blended rosé champagne (1818). In homage to this Grande Dame, Maison Veuve Clicquot created its esteemed cuvée which, today, showcases the Maison’s winemaking excellence and savoir-faire.
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“We’re delighted to continue the story of La Grande Dame, our exceptional wine, which embodies the House’s excellence as well as our love of Pinot Noir. For this new vintage, we are honored to collaborate with the Italian artist Paola Paronetto. Her work once again instills a deep message of optimism.” — Jean-Marc Gallot, President and CEO of Veuve Clicquot.
Artisanship is at the heart of the collaboration with Paola Paronetto
Paola Paronetto combines stylistic innovation and the traditions of ancient art with those of pottery. Over time, she has perfected an original technique that she calls Paper Clay, combining clay, cellulose fiber, and water. Her creations, which evoke the texture of corrugated card, are trompe-l’œils. Always inspired by the beauty of nature, Paola sees colours as full and opaque, and has devised a palette of 86 tones. The irregular shapes and raw texture of her objects create a graphic play of light that exalts the carefully chosen colours.
Her pieces, which are hand-made and fired, are found in major international furniture design showrooms and exhibited in art and design museums and galleries around the world, including the Triennale Milano, ADI Design Museum – Compasso d’Oro in Milan, and IIIe Arts in New York.
A collection of 6 gift boxes in colours created and chosen by Paola Paronetto
Committed to the conscious use of resources and recycled materials, she was delighted to accept Veuve Clicquot’s invitation to design an elevated gift box. Echoing the Maison’s pioneering use of hemp in its gift boxes, the new box is sustainably made in France and composed of 60% hemp, 20% cotton, and 20% non-wood fibres. Through this creation, the artist and Veuve Clicquot share their commitment and innovative common vision. The structure of the gift box has also been designed so that it can be reused.
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“Through my works, I am always looking for a balance between joy and creativity. My link with nature constantly inspires me to look towards a better future, and this collaboration with such an iconic House allows me to explore new horizons. For this new edition of La Grande Dame, I’ve created a range of six nuanced colours and a graphic play of light to show them at their very best.” — Paola Paronetto.
The “Giganti”: Paola Paronetto’s artistic interpretation of La Grande Dame’s oenological signature
To accompany this collaboration, Paola Paronetto created a sculptural work: the “Giganti”, composed of three coloured sculptures in the form of standing bottles, which express the meeting of nature and materials poetically and tangibly.
Pinot Noir finds its greatest expression in the cuvée La Grande Dame, where it represents more than 90% of the blend. The signature of the La Grande Dame cuvées resides in their verticality, structure, and skeleton, preserved and guaranteed with each new vintage by the expertise of the Cellar Master. The vertical silhouettes of the Giganti bottles, with shapes that can make them look unsteady, even though they are robust, are the echo of this oenological signature. The colours, textures, and sensuality of the pieces, typical of the artist’s work, create an implicit parallel with the experience of tasting La Grande Dame cuvée.
The mastery of an exceptional gesture by the Cellar Master – indispensable for bringing out the greatness of the delicate and complex Pinot Noir grape – recalls the mastery needed for making ceramics, and the Paper Clay technique of Paola Paronetto. It is a savoir-faire perfected after several years of diligent work, which gives rise to poetic, delicate, but robust sculptures that stand the test of time.
Launching in South Africa, La Grande Dame 2015 (R3,999.95) is now available at select stores and online.
