The Towering 2007 Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé
This weekend was a decadent one for wine at chez Westby. My father came to town for a visit to work on the family cellar, which needed a reorganization and the installation of a new Whisperkool cooling unit. For steak and claret on Friday, he opened a fabulous, aromatic, opulent and still young 1990 Pichon Baron, Pauillac. Saturday, Cinnamon made her fabulous pâtes de fromage (yes- macaroni and cheese!) and we had 2006 Charles Heidsieck Brut Rosé Champagne which was subtly toasty and very nicely balanced along with an incredible bottle of 2017 Domaine Jean Claude Ramonet Puligny Montrachet "Enseignères" which had both lime-like fruit and cut as well as earthy depth. On Sunday, we followed up with a traditional roast chicken, potatoes and brussels sprouts, paired with a magnificent beet and earth tour de force in the form of 1982 Chalone Pinot Noir and a suave and kirsch-like 2016 Maison Joseph Faiveley Vosne-Romanée. We all agreed that after all those wonderful bottles, the best was the first, the 2007 Bollinger "La Grande Année" Rosé Champagne. We opened that Friday night before steak and claret, and it set a bar that could not be beaten the whole weekend.
Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé has a secret ingredient, the Côte aux Enfants vineyard in Ay supplies the red wine. This 10-acre plot in the mid-slope of Ay is legendary in Champagne, and when they can, they also bottle and sell the still wine. The 2007 is composed of 6% Pinot Noir from this plot, 66% Pinot Noir vinified white from mostly Ay and Verzenay Grand Cru and 28% Chardonnay, mostly from Cramant and Oger Grand Cru. All of the fruit is from the Bollinger estate, and everything is barrel fermented in old oak. It is aged for at least six years on the lees in the bottle before release, but I expect that this bottle was aged ten before disgorgement.
The Champagne was spectacular, and I am sure that it will make my ten most memorable of 2020. Champagne does not get much better. It had a bronze-pink color and a beautiful bouquet of fresh baguette, maraschino cherry and a hint of new leather. In the mouth, it was subtle, fine and had perfect texture from the delicate bead. The most exciting feature was the finish- this wine fanned out on the back end like a peacock’s tail, and that finish not only replayed the beautiful flavors but expanded into kaleidoscopic complexity. I won’t ever forget it.
A toast to you!
—Gary Westby