An In-Depth Tasting at Bollinger
Were Scott Beckerley and I at Bollinger a few weeks ago or a decade ago? By feeling it is impossible to tell—it seems like it was a different world. My notebook says March 10th 2020, but with everything that has happened since, it could have been 10 years ago. Now both California and France are under shelter in place orders, but, back then, things were almost “normal.”
We met with Cyril Delarue, the sixth generation of the Bollinger family and Denis Bunner, the second-in-command of winemaking at the house of Bollinger in Aÿ, and it was one of the best visits I have ever had to a big Champagne house. We spent a couple of hours together tasting an incredible collection of vin clair from all over Champagne, some barrel fermented, some tank fermented, as well as some reserves and the assembled Special Cuvée that is set to be bottled in June.
Scott and I had already sampled hundreds and hundreds of the full-bodied, easy-to-taste 2019s on this trip, but almost always only one or two villages per producer. On this visit, we tasted 13 from eight villages, spanning the region from the Côte des Blancs, to the Marne Valley and the Montagne de Reims. As one would suspect, the barrel-fermented Aÿ stood out with vinous structure, black-cherry power, and great acidity and minerality. Another huge standout was a magnum of Verzenay Pinot Noir from 2009 that has been aged at half pressure. It was super nutty, smoky, and virile. Denis called this an “aromatic bomb” for the blend. After that we got to taste the blend that will become Bollinger "Special Cuvée" Brut Champagne after four years of ageing on the lees and six months on the cork. We’ll get to taste it again in early 2025!
This Special Cuvée, which is typical of the blend that they make each year, is composed of 40 villages, and 55% reserve wines. Included in those reserves are 10,000 magnums like the Verzenay, one from 2009 that we tried, spanning two decades. The composition is 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, and 15% Meunier with eight-to-ten vintages represented. This wine was beguiling, and certainly greater than the sum of its parts, with both sensuous Pinot richness and a line of austere chalk on the back end.
While Bollinger Special Cuvée is never the least expensive of the non-vintage Champagnes, this tasting reminded me what an incredible value for money it is. The amount of craft and the expense of the ingredients alone are justification, but tasting the finished product always satisfies. It is in the bottle. If you want a Champagne that is complex without being heavy, and powerful without being tiresome, look no further.
A toast to you!
- Gary Westby