This week Bollinger launched three new, exciting iterations of its trilogy of blanc de noirs. Long before Blanc de Noirs became a buzzword among Champagne aficionados, Bollinger was already breaking ground with its legendary Vieilles Vignes Françaises, first crafted back in 1969. Fast-forward to 2012, and the house added another showstopper to the lineup with the La Côte aux Enfants Champagne, giving connoisseurs a new reason to swoon. Then came the PN series, debuting in 2015 – a Pinot Noir playground that showcases Bollinger’s unmatched savoir-faire in reserve magnums and blending wizardry.
Now, enter the “climate change vintages” 2015 and 2020 that were marked by scorching droughts and tricky phenolics. But instead of wilting, these vintages flourish, thanks to Bollinger’s bold shifts in viticulture and deft use of oak. PN TX20 and La Côte aux Enfants Champagne 2015 are both successes in those difficult years. And finally, Vieilles Vignes Françaises 2016 takes center stage – a rare gem from ungrafted vines, delivering perhaps one of the most powerful and poetic expressions of this single-vineyard Champagne to date.
Bollinger chef de cave Denis Bunner on one of the Vieilles Vignes Françaises plots
Bollinger PN TX20 NV
With the sixth edition of its PN series Bollinger is back to Tauxières as the core village (38%), complemented by Aÿ and Avenay. In a sunny and dry year, this terroir thrives, and Bollinger has 18 hectares here in one huge block. The wines of the year get complimented by 52% of reserve wines of three amazing harvest years: 2019, 2012 and 2008. Add on it Bollinger’s ever-improving viticultural work, we have a wine that is precise and deliciously on the fruit. Soft apple and sweet apricot nose with pastry complexity, fruit candies and peach compote. The oaky notions stay beautifully in the background, On the palate the oak has helped in taming the phenolics of the dry, solar year. Supple with a degree of vinosity, the mature reserve wines add texture to the mid palate. On the lighter and fresher side for cuvée PN, this is a charming edition with its deliciously fruity and saline length, enhanced by its 8g/l dosage.
93 points with a potential for 95
Bollinger La Côte aux Enfants Champagne 2015
For the fourth consecutive year, the grapes from the north-west facing side of the hill produce La Côte aux Enfants Champagne. Known as a challenging year due to drought related issues, in 2015 the site’s chalky subsoil with thin topsoil came to rescue, showing a strong terroir imprint in the wine. The nose opens with sweet, sun kissed fruit of quince, orange blossom and golden raisins, completely free of the vegetal notes troubling many of the vintage’s wines. There is quite the contrast to the palate, which comes with scintillating vibrancy and energizingly prickly texture. There is immaculate saline freshness to the palate, into which the bitterness from the phenolics contributes. Refined and precise, this is the best edition of La Côte aux Enfants Champagne yet.
95 points with potential for 97
Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises 2016
The 2016 vintage shows a particularly elegant expression of Bollinger’s magnificent Vieilles Vignes Françaises. The grapes were not particularly high in sugar when picked, yet the concentration in the grapes yielded a rich and well-balanced VVF. The nose is already impressively multi-layered with dark fruity tones and a particularly savoury profile. Various black berries intermingle with honey coated nuts, dried apricots and golden raisins. The savoury oaky tones line the wine on both the nose and palate in a refined fashion. Never-ending finish full of luscious, chewy fruit and saline freshness. A magnificent iteration of this great Bollinger classic.
97 points with potential for 99
