'An ultimate gastronomic masterpiece'
La Grande Année is Bollinger's prestige vintage cuvée, made only from their best vineyards (all grand and premier cru) and only from the best harvests. After seven years on the lees, today sees the release of the 2015 vintage. Where the 2014 was tense and focussed, the 2015 is generous and expressive, but also seriously layered. It opens on citrus and sherbet, expands into stonefruit and patisserie, and finishes on a very classic note of smoke and hazelnut, reflecting 100% barrel fermentation. Champagne critic Richard Juhlin has called it 'an ultimate gastronomic masterpiece'.
2015 was a gloriously hot, sunny year. At Bollinger, they incorporated more Pinot Noir from north-facing vineyards, in search of freshness and subtlety. And they tweaked their usual 70/30 Pinot/Chardonnay blend to 60/40, reflecting the fact that they had some especially fine Chardonnay from Chouilly and Avize. It is the kind of responsiveness we have come to expect from this intensely quality-focussed house. /NT
'Bollinger`s 2015 Brut Grand Annee is an intriguing wine in that is clearly reflects the decision to pick on the later side in order to avoid vegetal notes derived from the mismatch of alcoholic and phenolic ripeness. `Balance was hard to achieve in 2015,` Chef de Cave Dennis Bunner notes. `At 10% in sugar, the fruit was simply not ripe. We had to wait to reach the optimal window of ripeness.` Bunner also opted to increase the Chardonnay, so the blend is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, as opposed to the more typical 70/30 blend, with more Verzenay than Ay in the Pinots. Dried citrus peel, sage, menthol, sage, tangerine peel and spice build with some coaxing. Light tropical overtones develop with aeration. There`s real density and textural richness here. This will be a fascinating vintage to follow. Stylistically, it is the complete opposite from the much more linear 2014 that precedes it.' - 96 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com, March 2024
Offered subject to remaining unsold; for shipment Spring 2024
