Bollinger La Grande Année 2015
A hot year with drought issues made Bollinger seek freshness and subtlety via Pinot Noirs of north facing terroirs and an unusually high proportion of Chardonnay (40%). The nose oozes lush red berry fruit, golden raisins and tropical fruit exuberance. Rich and ripe in profile, the wine if laudably free of the culprit of the year, the vegetal austerity, which Bollinger was able to avoid by barrel vinifications’ effect in removing excess phenolics and the strict selection enabled by individual barrels. There is impressive density on the textured palate, that finishes on a spicy note adding on to the wine’s freshness. A rare success in 2015, this is a vintage for the friends of Bollinger’s classically vinous style. Due to its richness and structuredness it promises fine potential for ageing. 94 points with potential for 96.
Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé 2015
Born from the addition of five percent of La Côte aux Enfants red wine into the white La Grande Année blend, this fine rosé delights with its sweet fruity appeal of freshly crushed strawberries, apricot tart, candied fruit and orange peel. Rather fruit-forward and highly youthful for the time being, there is much more aromatic complexity to surface over time. The fine quality of the red wine of the year can be sensed on the palate, where the tannin structure feels firm but extremely elegant. Its mouthfeel is juicy with an attractive rounding oiliness to the texture. The wine is free of the common vegetal austerity of the year, instead it shows the richness and deliciousness of its sun-kissed harvest year. The fine fruit quality and seductively silky tannin structure ensure its great ageworthiness. 95 points with potential for 97.