2012 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Annee

Disgorged in July 2019, Bollinger's 2012 Brut La Grande Année is showing well, offering up an incipiently complex bouquet of crisp yellow orchard fruit, fresh peach, orange oil, toasted walnuts and dried apricot that's still quite reserved with less than a year on cork. Full-bodied, deep and muscular, the 2012 is blockier and broader-shouldered than its 2008 predecessor, with a weightier and even more concentrated palate built around a bright spine of acidity, concluding with a chalky finish that carries appreciably dry extract. This isn't quite as elegant as the exquisite 2008, but it is a superb effort and obviously built to age. - William Kelley 95

At Bollinger, only very high quality harvests become a vintage: in 2012, the remarkable maturity of the grapes combined with a phenomenal acidity have produced a wine of infinite depth and allowed an exceptional vintage to be created. The delicate color and golden hues are a sign of the wine’s maturity and Bollinger’s wine-making methods. A wonderful aromatic depth. The wine’s fruity, spicy and floral notes intertwine to reveal a highly complex nose; wild peach, plum and orange peel precede saffron and tonka bean, complemented by a fresh, mineral aspect. Dense and harmonious in the mouth. A creamy effervescence and fresh structure, with a gentle saline finish.

Blend of the 2012 vintage 

65% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay.  21 crus:  mainly Aÿ and Verzenay for the Pinot Noir, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oiry for the Chardonnay.

Exclusive use of the cuvee.