2007 Bollinger, R.D., Champagne 3x150cl

Antonio Galloni 97

Bollinger s 2007 R.D. is superb, but it is also a wine that reflects the nature of a unique and challenging growing season. In most vintages the R.D. is marked by the distinct creaminess and breadth of Ay Pinot Noir. Two thousand seven, though, was a difficult year marked by very dry weather, rain at the end of the growing season and an early harvest in August, something that was not as common as it has become. Selection was essential. For the 2007, the blend is composed of just 14 villages compared to the more typical 18-25. Verzenay is the main Pinot component while Cramant plays the leading role in the Chardonnays. For these reasons, the 2007 is an R.D. driven by more focus, energy and tension than readers are used to seeing. Lemon confit, dried flowers, sage, mint, crushed rocks, almond and ginger are some of the aromas and flavors that give the 2007 its complex, multi-faceted personality. The 2007 can be enjoyed now, but I would prefer to cellar it for a few years. It will age effortlessly for decades as it moves through the various phases of its life. I was reminded of the way Champagne can magically traverse time by magical bottles of the 1976 R.D. and 1996 Vieilles Vignes Francaises I tasted recently. The blend is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, 91% Grand Cru fruit and the rest Premier Cru. Bollinger fans will notice the return of the original label, with the disgorgement date clearly visible, a tribute to Madame Bollinger, who was a pioneer in so many ways. Disgorged: July 10, 2020. Dosage is 3 grams per liter. [Antonio Galloni, 04/03/2021]

Anticipated maturity: 2022-2047

Wine Advocate 97

Disgorged on July 10, 2020, with three grams per liter dosage, Bollinger’s eagerly awaited 2007 Extra-Brut R. D. is beautiful, unwinding in the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, citrus pith and white flowers mingled with hints of honey, orange oil, buttery pastry, English walnuts and delicately spicy bass notes. Full-bodied, vibrant and incisive, it’s unusually elegant and structurally fine-boned for what is routinely one of Champagne’s more muscular tA te de cuvees, with a bright spine of acidity that’s cloaked in vibrant, concentrated fruit, complemented by a pearly pinpoint mousse and concluding with an intensely sapid finish. Long and penetrating, this is a tightly coiled R. D. that will reward bottle age. [William Kelley, 02/03/2021]

Anticipated maturity: 2021-2037

vinum 95

A blend of 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay, with 14 years on lees and a low dosage of just 3g/l. Expressive fragrance of lemon cream patisserie – lifted, fresh and vibrant. Dry, precise and taut, with a touch of white chocolate or coffee cream in the very middle. The fruit is whistle-clean and sleek, with orchard fruit, plums and some white flowers coming to the fore on the mid-palate. The lees influence plays a supporting role and this is an RD that emphasises its freshness ahead of its autolysis. The 2007 Chardonnay makes itself felt quite insistently, lending this real elegance and finesse. Long and surprisingly delicate. [Matthew Hemming, 01/03/2020]