6/6
TESTVINDER! (Anmeldt til 1500 kr.) Majestætisk finale! Finalen i dette lille forårsboblende festfyrværkeri er 2015 Bollinger La Grande Année, der, som navnet antyder, kun laves i særligt gode år. Det er en vin, der ligesom forårets spirende planter henter sin kraft fra dybderne og løfter den op i glasset som energi i flydende form. Basisvinen er gæret på egetræsfade og har ligget på bundfald i over seks år, hvilket giver en stor dybde og kompleksitet. Boblerne er ultrafine og nærmest majestætisk langsomme, som om de kender deres værd og ikke har travlt med at være champagnebobler. Næsen byder på ristede nødder, honning, citronskal og ristet brød. Smagen er cremet og intens med noter af moden citrus, saltet karamel og tørret frugt, indrammet af Bollingers karakteristiske struktur og rygrad. Syren er præcis, men rund, og afslutningen trækker lange, kalkede spor hen over tungen. Her er vi på øverste hylde – hvor bobler ikke blot stiger, men løfter helheden med den kraft og ynde, som kun få champagner formår. Boblerne er ultrafine og nærmest majestætisk langsomme, som om de kender deres værd og ikke har travlt med at være champagnebobler."
96
Bollinger's 2015 Brut Grand Année 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 Aÿ 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. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.
95
95P+: The 2015 Brut La Grande Année was disgorged last year with eight grams per liter dosage. The wine has turned out beautifully, exhibiting a more muscular, old-school Bollinger profile in contrast to the unusually racy, fine-boned 2014 that preceded it. Wafting from the glass with notes of pear, orange oil and white flowers mingled with notions of mocha, toasted hazelnuts and fino sherry, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, with a dense core of fruit framed by chalky structuring extract, concluding with a long, sapid finish.
94
A forward vintage for La Grande Année, with warmth evident in its roasted orange, Comice pear and Mirabelle plum, all polished with a sense of savoury maturity that is very Bollinger at heart. There’s a little more oxygen influence seemingly at play than in the 2014, with brine, nuts and a little dried leaf character already taking this far beyond fruit. The food-friendly chewiness of 2015 is there, but the mousse is supple and the Chardonnay brings the wine to a close with a fine, cooked lemon snap. This will start to show its best integration from 2025 onwards, although it is open for business 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.
96
Enticing, fragrant aromas of toast, lemon zest and an earthy-smoky nuance lead to a palate of subtle Bosc-pear, mango, papaya, even pineapple flavors. Lifted by fresh acidity on the medium-bodied palate, the wine keeps unfolding in toasted walnuts, honey and a dash of bitter marmalade. It’s mouth-filling, alive with acidity and full of finesse. Drink or hold.
96
This expressive Champagne features a rich, well-spiced range of flavors chiseled by well-honed, integrated acidity, which lends a racy feel to the ripe black cherry and mulberry fruit and notes of salted almond, pink grapefruit granita, crystallized honey and pickled ginger that ride the raw silk–like mousse. Hints of chalk and spring blossoms play on the clean-cut, lasting finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Disgorged May 2023.
96
96P+: Velvety burnished gold in color with near imperceptible fine bubbles, the Grand Année 2015 is a 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay blend of 11 crus, 79% Grands Cru and 21% Premiers Crus, that is 100% barrel fermented, aged 7 years on lees and finished with an 8 grams per liter dosage. It opens toasty and rich with red forest fruit aromas accented by bruised apple, warm spice, Acacia honey, and a refreshing whiff of chalk. Plush and generous, the medium-bodied palate fills out with a seamless depth of orchard fruit concentration lifted by buoyant, finely spun acid energy and a satiny, pinpoint mousse. This 2015 lingers long on the palate and has an attractive kiss of bitterness.
96
Medium golden yellow with silver reflections and a fine, stable mousse. A delicately smoky and nutty bouquet, with ripe stone fruit, some jasmine and orange blossom and fine roasted aromas of cookie too - lots of Bolly DNA already in the nose. Tight-knit on the palate with white pear fruit and some walnut on display, with a fine acidity and taut minerality on the finish. Shows length already, should ideally age in the bottle for a few more years.
#2 - Årets Nytårschampagne 2025: Fadgæret, flot udviklet champagne i let oxidativ stil. Her er tørret frugt, nødder, underskov og ikke mindst tonsvis af svampe i form af tørrede karljohan’er. Munden byder på behersket sødme. Kan fint drikkes nu. Fem store stjerner.
