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Review: The New La Grande Dame Bar at the New Liberty Hotel -
La Grande Dame Bar
Until recently, champagne has had a “unique” – if not atypical – image in the world of wines. Whereas wine lovers will seek out and enjoy specific wine types, regions, and even varietals, these same people would refrain from enjoying champagne unless it was to mark a “special occasion.” But lately there have been a growing number of restaurants which offer a surprisingly large number of different champagnes “by the glass.” Even more noticeable is the growing number of bars which spotlight champagne, even in their names. Champagne institution Veuve Clicquot recently opened its first “La Grande Dame Bar” in the United States at the Liberty Hotel in Boston. Although the first of their “branded bars” in this country, this is only the third in the entire world, joining Hamburg, Germany and Macao, China.
The Specifics The La Grande Dame Bar, while indeed a “bar”, may be a misleading name. The nine foot bar, in Veuve Clicquot’s signature black and yellow color scheme, isn’t located in its own enclosed space. Rather, it’s postioned at the center of one wall at the hotel’s second floor rotunda. Still, the “bar” serves its purpose; when open, one can order only champagne – and only Veuve Clicquot champagnes. And what Veuve Clicquot champagnes are available? Naturally, highlighted is Veuve Clicquot’s prestige cuvée, La Grande Dame 1998 ($49 per glass, $330 per bottle). Its non-vintage siblings Veuve Clicquot “Yellow Label” ($16 per glass, $75 per bottle) and Veuve Clicquot NV Rosé ($21 per glass, $115 per bottle) undoubtedly draw the most attention. In addition, the La Grande Dame Bar offers less-available (at most restaurants and bars) – but wonderful – bottlings, the Veuve Clicquot Vintage 1999 ($30 per glass, $150 per bottle) and the Rosé Vintage 2000 ($35 per glass, $165 per bottle). Finally, the La Grande Dame Rosé Vintage 1998 is available by the bottle only, at $785.
The Ambience There’s something that is worth repeating: the La Grande Dame Bar is only open on Thursday through Sunday nights from 9PM to 2AM. That’s directly relevant to the ambience of the Bar: it may be noisy, or it may not. Due to its weekend hours – as well as the fact that the La Grande Dame Bar isn’t “secluded” at all – you may easily encounter club crowds. While the second floor rotunda of the Liberty Hotel is quite spacious (and, as a result, nowhere near as crowded as a typical nightclub), it can get noisy at times. My first visit (on a Thursday night) to La Grande Dame Bar included being hugged by a seriously inebriated man who confided in me that he “could buy the entire hotel,” as well as a couple trying unsuccessfully to crash a private party. My second visit (also on a Thursday night) was quite different. I had two guests with me; and in contrast to my previous visit, the ambient noise was noticeably less. As a result, we were able to enjoy our conversations with no difficulty. And while the La Grande Dame Bar isn’t self-contained, the furniture in the rotunda is quite comfortable and quite appropriate. I particularly enjoyed the high back white leather wing chairs.
The Service Considering the first class “aura” that’s been associated with Veuve Clicquot and La Grande Dame for centuries, perhaps it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to learn that service lives up to that tradition. I’m especially compelled to recognize the service of one bartender, Danielle. The first time I visited the La Grande Dame Bar, I went alone (normally I don’t like “sharing,” especially champagne!!!). Throughout the evening, Danielle went out of her way to be attentive. She made sure I felt comfortable, engaging me in conversation (and intelligent conversation). And while earlier I mentioned that the “Bar” is actually one part of the large rotunda, in fact the bar itself is a key part of the service, on those nights when it’s open. The La Grande Dame Bar serves only Veuve Clicquot wines, nothing else. That means for Veuve Clicquot lovers, you don’t need to compete for the attention of a bartender with customers who want beer, liquor, mixed drinks, et al.
The Superlative Opinion For decades I’ve said that all offerings from Veuve Clicquot are on par or surpass many champagnes which people perceive as being “the best.” While Krug is still king, I’ve said that even the non-vintage Yellow Label is more enjoyable than most vintages of Dom Pérignon (the 1973 Oenothèque being a notable exception). The La Grande Dame Bar at the Liberty Hotel provides a unique and special opportunity to sample Veuve Clicquot’s entire lineup. For those wanting to learn more about champagne, the La Grande Dame Bar lets you “try before you buy,” especially with the winemaker’s têtes de cuvée. For those wanting to learn more about champagne in general and Veuve Clicquot specifically, the Bar is, in effect, a “weekend horizontal tasting”. By sampling the different offerings, you’ll learn the differences between the non-vintage and vintage champagnes. But for everyone, the La Grande Dame Bar is a place you must visit (and at least in my case, a place I must visit regularly). The prices are reasonable; in fact cheap, compared to the prices at most other restaurants and bars. And given its sole focus on the wines of Veuve Clicquot, bottle turnover is quick; it’s highly unlikely you’ll get a flat glass of champagne due to protracted storage after opening. Given the uncertainty of when the hotel bars will be crowded, bringing a date to the La Grande Dame Bar is chancy. You and your date may be able to enjoy each other’s company over a glass of Vintage 1999; or, the ambient noise level may drown out your conversations. However, enjoying Veuve Clicquot on a date will always be something of style and class. And the La Grande Dame Bar is the perfect place for that. Could the La Grande Dame Bar be better than it is? Yes … there’s only one thing missing; but it’s a big one. The Bar offers almost all of Veuve Clicquot’s current releases. But considering its close relationship with the champagne house itself and its cellars, the La Grande Bar should offer – either regularly or occasionally – their older vintages, as well as special releases. It would be wonderful to be able to sample some of Veuve Clicquot’s bigger vintage blockbusters, such as the 1985, 1982, 1976, and 1969 vintages. Additionally, the Bar should also offer glasses tapped from large formats, such as the La Grande Dame 1998 from magnum, as well as last year’s release of the Veuve Clicquot Yellowboam. While the vintage in the bottle is the same, wine experts agree that champagne served from a magnum or larger has a different taste than a glass served from a 750 ml bottle. While these suggestions may sound “esoteric,” the reverse is actually the case. The La Grande Dame Bar would attract Veuve Clicquot aficionados with these offerings, and create new lovers of the champagne house. But despite this “void”, the La Grande Dame Bar at the Liberty Hotel is a place you need to visit. In all likelihood you’ll probably react the way I did: you’ll decide it’s a special bar you’ll have to visit regularly and frequently.
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