Born in 1777, Nicole Barbe Ponsardin married François Clicquot in 1798. Widowed at the age of 27, a woman of spirit but also a woman of heart, she took over her late husband's business and managed to ship her wines all over the world. Madame Clicquot died in 1866, at the age of 89, and left behind a Grande Maison. The Veuve Clicquot vineyard is one of the very first in Champagne, in terms of its size and quality: 382 hectares. It provides between 26% and 28% of the House's supply, the rest coming from Champagne winegrowers rigorously selected for their quality.