Made only from Grand and Premier cru grapes, La Grande Année is the embodiment of the carefully preserved traditional expertise of Champagne Bollinger.
An intense creaminess is immediately apparent, alongside salty oyster shell, subtle smokiness and freshly cut Golden Delicious flesh. More air brings an overtone of salted caramel, of butterscotch. The palate is wonderfully defined in its salty, curvy body, which leans into its sinuous shape with gusto. The texture is creamy, but there is a vein of finest freshness that makes this exuberant, precise, inviting, joyous and celebratory. The finish is long and creamy.
97 POINTS WINE SPECTATOR
97 POINTS FALSTAFF
96 POINTS WINE ENTHUSIAST
95 POINTS WINE ADVOCATE
In 1976, Bollinger Vintage was re-named Grande Année. Then in 1997, it became La Grande Année - 'The Great Year' - a name simple enough to illustrate its exceptional status, because only truly extraordinary years become vintage at Bollinger.
La Grande Année 2012 is an assembly of 21 crus, mostly in Aÿ and Verzenay for the 65% Pinot Noir and in Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oiry for the 35% Chardonnay.
The people of Champagne have long sought the best way to clarify wine by removing the deposit that forms over the years. To do this, they invented the very unique method of riddling: gently and gradually moving the bottle to progressively remove the sediment and guide it into the neck of the bottle.
The cellars of Champagne Bollinger are home to row upon row of wooden stands. All Champagne houses keep a reserve of wines from previous years to add to blends for future years, if required. But none of them has taken the spirit of reserve to such levels of perfection as Bollinger...
Behind one of its pillars, the reserve magnums, lies a tradition that dates back to 1892, the year they were first used in the assemblies of non-vintage champagnes. Over 130 years later, Special Cuvée is still the rightful heir with an assembly composed mainly of reserve wines, at least 10% of which are held in magnum, a rarity in Champagne.
Maturation: Fermentation takes place entirely in oak barrels and the wine is aged, sealed with a natural cork, for over twice as long as required by the appellation regulations. Dosage is moderate, 8 grams per litre.
