Champagne Bollinger - La Grande Année 2015 - Coffret bois

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

A large traditional house established in Aÿ since 1829, Bollinger remains at the highest level in Champagne. Its 178-hectare vineyard of grands and premiers crus provides 60% of its supply. All vintage wines are vinified in barrels, as is a small proportion of the house's multi-vintage brut, the Special Cuvée. This benefits from a high proportion of reserve wines stored in magnums, ensuring unrivalled precision in the blends. In recent years, the house has been creating exciting new cuvées: a blanc de noir d'Aÿ from the Côte aux Enfants plot, which also produces a superb coteau champenois. And pinot noir cuvées whose names come from the dominant cru in the blend, which varies each year. All of the house's wines shine at the table.

Decanter

About wine:

An advanced vintage for La Grande Année, with evident warmth in its toasted orange, Comice pear, and mirabelle plum, all polished with a sense of savory maturity that is very Bollinger at heart. The influence of oxygen seems a little more pronounced than in the 2014, with notes of brine, nuts, and dried leaves that go well beyond the fruit. The pleasant chewiness of the 2015 is present, but the mousse is supple and the Chardonnay closes the wine with a fine pressure of cooked lemon. This wine will begin to show its best integration from 2025 onwards, although it is open now. 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims, Grande Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs, all fermented in small oak barrels and disgorged in May 2023 after seven years on lees.

Guide Hachette des vins

About wine:

Pinot Noir (60%) and Chardonnay from premier and grand cru vineyards, aged in wood, used to make a vintage brut aged for nearly 10 years under cork, riddled and disgorged by hand. A superb patina: deep gold color, nose of plum, apple brandy, almond, marzipan, lime and toasted sesame, full-bodied on the palate with elegance, powerful, rich and long, with aromas of yuzu, candied fruit, tarte Tatin, with a slight bitterness of cocoa revealing the wood. Stylish.

About the estate:

Famous house founded in 1829 by Joseph Bollinger, a wine merchant originally from Württemberg. It has remained a family business, even though since 2008 it has been chaired by someone outside the family (Charles-Armand de Belenet since 2017). With a 179-hectare vineyard dominated by Pinot Noir (60%) and its own cooperage, it maintains its style based on skillful blends of wines vinified separately in oak barrels (reused to avoid overpowering woodiness) and small capacity vats. As for the reserve wines, they are stored in magnums under "petite mousse" (a thin layer of foam). The wines are bottled with corks and benefit from long aging on lees. Gilles Descôtes joined the company in 2003 and succeeded six cellar masters in 2013.

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About wine:

Among the expressions of this superb vintage in Champagne, "La Grande Année" displays rare elegance. From the very first whiff, you will be charmed by aromas of leather, roasted pineapple, stewed apple, yellow peach pulp, and sweet spices (cinnamon, vanilla, turmeric, cardamom). This aromatic delight continues on the palate with a creamy texture and beautiful energy, combining balance and power. Notes of ripe yellow and white fruits are present, but without excess. The bubbles contribute to the dynamism of the wine, which grows in power as you taste it, before a deep, chalky and salty finish that is very mouthwatering, long and persistent.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About wine:

The Brut La Grande Année 2015 was disgorged last year with a dosage of eight grams per liter. The wine has turned out beautifully, displaying a more muscular, old-school Bollinger profile, in contrast to the exceptionally racy and finely daring 2014 that preceded it. The wine opens with notes of pear, orange oil, and white flowers mingled with hints of mocha, toasted hazelnuts, and fino sherry. It is medium-bodied to full-bodied, layered and textured, with a dense core of fruit framed by a chalky, structuring extract, and finishes with a long, sapid finish.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About wine:

The house produced one of the greatest vintages of 2015, completely avoiding the trap of the plant of the year. La Grande Année has superb fullness, vigor, its usual vinous envelope, and a long chalky finish.

About the estate:

If there is one brand with a strong personality and highly recognizable style, it is Bollinger. This family-owned house in Aÿ produces wines with a strong Pinot Noir influence that are full-bodied, deep, and subtly aged. Bollinger has an incredibly rich history. It is a benchmark house that is always at the forefront of innovation. The quality of its older vintages is testament to this commitment to excellence, passed down from generation to generation. The character and vinosity of these gourmet champagnes remain exemplary.

Jancis Robinson

About wine:

A blend of 11 crus, 79% Grand Cru, 21% Premier Cru, with a predominance of 60% Pinot Noir from Verzenay, Aÿ, and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and 40% Chardonnay from Chouilly and Avize. All wines were fermented in oak and pressed by hand. Disgorged in June 2023. Dosage 8 g/l. Medium straw color. Very deep nose. A little richness and only the beginning of the mushroom flavor characteristic of Bollinger, which should develop with time. The palate is lighter than the nose at the moment. It is currently a little livelier than some Grandes Années.

Vinous

James Suckling

About wine:

Seductive, fragrant aromas of toasted bread, lemon zest, and an earthy, smoky undertone lead to a palate with subtle flavors of Bosc pear, mango, papaya, and even pineapple. Supported by fresh acidity on the medium-bodied palate, the wine continues to unfold with notes of toasted nuts, honey, and a hint of bitter marmalade. The palate is full, vibrant with acidity, and full of finesse. Drink now or hold.

Jeb Dunnuck