Bryan Jackson

8.9

Tasty rose — 6 years ago

Wai Min Higa

8.9

Wonderful surprise! Well balanced rich after taste pleasant berry less acidity. — 7 years ago

Michael Piaker

9.1

6 September 2017. The Four Horsemen, Brooklyn, NY. — 8 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.3

Perfect combo of ripe peach & pear with a touch of lemon & hazelnut and a dollop of honey. With a delicious salty twist at the end.
Pass on the escargots!
#sundaytreat — 8 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.1

2010 vintage. Pale golden hue. Quite reserving on the nose although with air, lemon citrus notes and chalky minerality. On the palate, bright and fresh high acidity - very lemony, with touch of lime. Some nuttiness with air, metallic on the finish. Medium plus finish. Very enjoyable. — 9 years ago

Dmitri Bourkovski

9.7

Absolutely great! Well balanced, a bit sweeter then needed but still great. — 9 years ago

Antonio Capurso

9.3

Nose: lovely roasted nose full of butter and soft smoked aroma. Gently oaked.
Palate: creamy, rich and elegant smoke taste.

(The sampler - enomatic) — 9 years ago

Corrie

9.0

So different really like — 9 years ago

with Bryan

Daniel M

9.1

Chardonnay — 10 years ago

Rebecca Ferguson

9.0

It was perfect to complement Thanksgiving dinner; I do prefer to drink it with food since it is a young wine. Also definitely drink the whole bottle in a day because it does not keep well! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

On the nose; bright cherries, ripe strawberry & cranberry reduction, black raspberries, raspberries, watermelon near the rhine, mixed orange citrus, oyster shells, baguette crust, understated volcanic minerals, chalk, saline, fresh pink roses and florals. The body is full and a shade gluey. The fruits are ripe, rich and candied/gummy in style. Bright cherries, black cherries ripe strawberry & cranberry reduction, black raspberries, raspberries, watermelon near the rhine, mixed orange citrus spray, saline, seashells, soft grey volcanic minerals, lots of grippy powdery razor sharp chalkiness, baguette crust, fresh pink roses & florals, acidity that is round and well done, understated delicate micro bubbles and a long, well balanced, rich finish. The reason why I prefer the Billecart Salmon, Ruinart & Laurent Perrier over the Bollinger is it’s a little too sweet for me. Photos of; the House of Bollinger, cellar, headstone that marks one of their vineyards and their harvest staff picking perfectly manicured rows. Producer notes and history...Bollinger has roots dating back to 1585 when the Hennequins, one of the Bollinger founding families, owned land in Cramant. Before the Bollinger house was founded in the 18th century, the Villermont family practised wine making, though not under their family name. In 1750, Villermont settled at 16 rue Jules Lobet, which would eventually become the head office for Bollinger. In 1803 Jacques Joseph Placide Bollinger was born in Ellwangen, in the kingdom of Württemberg. In 1822, he moved to Champagne and found work at the house of Muller Ruinart, which no longer exists. Many other Germans came to settle in the Champagne region, including Johann-Josef Krug and the Heidsiecks, who founded a house that would become; Charles Heidsieck, Piper Heidsieck, Veuve Clicquot and others. The Champagne house Renaudin Bollinger was founded in 1829 in Aÿ by Hennequin de Villermont, Paul Levieux Renaudin and Jacques Bollinger. The partners agreed that the Villermont name would not be used on the labels, hence the house name Renaudin Bollinger. Starting when Jacques Bollinger married Charlotte de Villermont, the house has been managed by the Bollinger family. Even though Paul Renaudin passed without an heir to his name, the label did not become solely Bollinger until the 1960s. Founder Jacques Joseph Bollinger married Charlotte de Villermont. The had a daughter, who had two sons Joseph and Georges. These sons took over the company in 1885 and began expanding the family estate by purchasing vineyards in nearby villages. The sons also developed the image of the brand, such as when Bollinger became the official supplier to the British court and received a Royal Warrant in 1884 from Queen Victoria. In 1918, Jacques Bollinger, the son of Georges, took over the company and married Emily Law de Lauriston Boubers, known as "Lily". Jacques expanded the facilities by building new cellars, purchasing the Tauxières vineyards, and acquiring the assets of another Champagne house on Boulevard du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassign, where Bollinger's offices are presently located. When Jacques Bollinger died in 1941, Lily Bollinger took over. Lilly expanded production with the purchase of even more vineyards, but is best known for traveling the world to market the brand. Bollinger was modernized under the Claude d'Hautefeuille, who acquired additional vineyards and further developed the brand internationally. Following Claude, his cousin Christian Bizot took over the Bollinger house and expanded world distribution. Their Winemaker also used several James Bond film movies to market the brand. Bollinger is fermented in oak barrels. At harvest, only the first pressing is used in the cuvée, unless the vintage is of particularly high quality, when a second pressing of Chardonnay will be used. Bollinger sells the second pressing, the tailles. Bollinger utilizes two pressing houses (Louvois and Mareuil sur Aÿ) to ensure a short distance between harvest location and pressing. When possible, grapes purchased from growers are pressed by the house. When the pressed wine arrives, the Bollinger cellar master analyzes the musts for quality, discarding and selling off those that do not meet the house standards. The first fermentation is done cru by cru, variety by variety, preserving many of the unique characteristics of the vines location. Bollinger is one of the few Champagne houses to do some first fermentation in oak barrels. Wines that will not hold up to first fermentation in wood are vinified in vats. Bollinger Champagnes usually undergo malolactic fermentation. The Grande Année 1995 did not undergo malolactic fermentation. Bollinger uses only traditional yeast. They’ve decided that new generations of yeasts (agglomerated yeasts and encapsulated yeasts) do not produce satisfactory Champagne. Vintage wine, including all wine to be used in a Grande Année, is fermented in small oak barrels, sorted according to origin and variety. Both oak and stainless steel are used for non-vintage wine. Bollinger also has the last Cooperage in Champagne. The oak barrels are all at least four years old, avoiding the transfer of tannins to the wine. The wines are only lightly filtered. All Bollinger Champagne spends a long time on its lees, contributing to the complex flavour of the wine. Though appellation d'origine contrôlée rules only require 12 months on lees for non-vintage Champagne and for vintage (NV wines, 15 months from tirage to release and vintage wines must be kept for 36 months from tirage to release), Bollinger ages their non-vintage wines three years, and the vintage wines from five to eight years. The Grande Année and R.D. Champagnes are riddled by hand. At disgorgement, Bollinger wines are given a low dosage, to maintain the balance and flavor of the wine. The company uses 6-9 grams of sugar per liter for the Special Cuvée and La Grande Année. The extra-brut R.D. is dosed between 4 and 5 grams. After dosage, the wines are aged an additional several months, resting for a minimum of three months before shipping. Bollinger owns nearly 160 hectares of vines, producing more than 60% of its supply. The vines are largely Pinot Noir, specifically clone 386. Bollinger believes this clone ensures good quality as well as highlighting characteristics of the various terroirs. The vineyards also include some rare ungrafted French vines from before the phylloxera. Bollinger owns vines all over Champagne, including the crus of Aÿ, Bouzy and Verzenay. — 7 years ago

Bert Maggen

9.0

Nice chablis. Fijne kurk — 10 years ago

Alan Weinberg

9.2

didn’t expect a whole lot from a $20 bottle but it was excellent and still on upswing. Great Meursault character and citrus zest. Bottles like this keep me in the chase. — 7 years ago

Joshua Dalton

9.0

Very smooth — 8 years ago

with Joe and Kathryn

Dock Hooks

9.3

Crazy good right-time-of-the-year-for-no-wood French Chardonnay, herbal and melon from nose to finish showing plenty of acid/tannic softly clinging depth front to back (even without wood), hints of some cantaloupe towards the end and a tinge of fresh raw celery throughout the drink. This wine was brilliantly paired with a groovy tart greens-based salad, at my buddy, Geoph Adams', waterfront Black Sheep, in Beaufort, NC. Don't miss his magic moment when hanging or passing through NC's middle cape, which is Lookout (Beaufort being lazy, crazy, cool). Another brilliant wine by Eric and Laure's Queen of Wines (boutique importing and distribution bringing the passion of France straight into NC) so cool!!! — 3 hours ago — 8 years ago

Peter N

9.3

2010 #classic #delicious fat and zesty at the same time. Remarkable balance and length. This has quite a future ahead of it. — 8 years ago

greg

9.0

Reuilly a good value alternative to its better known neighbours. Delicate and scented, this is a beautifully refined sauvigon, dry mouthwatering and moreish.
bargain at €14.99. — 9 years ago

Dave Montagne

9.1

Nice earthy nose. — 9 years ago

Patrick Blondin Sommelier

9.2

Moins puissant que Lias et Caillot en chardonnay!! Jus d'agrumes, superbe tension!!! — 9 years ago

Megan Rae

9.4

Omg. Oak, smokey, smooth, perfect. Just how I imagine Pinot Gris in Alsace. Seriously the best! — 10 years ago