Bollinger
La Grande Année Brut Champagne Blend
Aÿ, Vallée de la Marne, Champagne, France
Light pink. Soft strawberry, slate, salinity. Precise and structured. Good
Light pink. Soft strawberry, slate, salinity. Precise and structured. Good
Jan 1st, 2023
Christmas lunch date at V. Mertz. Disgorged January 2013. No formal notes. Rich in style with bruised apple, brioche, honey and some nutty, oxidative notes too. Zippy acid still. A truly wonderful way to close out the meal.
Christmas lunch date at V. Mertz. Disgorged January 2013. No formal notes. Rich in style with bruised apple, brioche, honey and some nutty, oxidative notes too. Zippy acid still. A truly wonderful way to close out the meal.
Jan 3rd, 2022
Nuts, almonds, chocolate, bakery, butter-fried chantrelles; but with a distinct mousse and all the apples, citrus and oompf from the youth: close to my preferred peak.
Nuts, almonds, chocolate, bakery, butter-fried chantrelles; but with a distinct mousse and all the apples, citrus and oompf from the youth: close to my preferred peak.
Nov 28th, 2020
Bready, fat, rich pear and apple with some spice / delicious, more filled out than the ‘05, too
Bready, fat, rich pear and apple with some spice / delicious, more filled out than the ‘05, too
Aug 5th, 2018
Spending our anniversary with a classic. Never disappoints. Toasty, yeasty, oxidative style, but lots of fruit in the 04 at present. Tasty now but should drink well on its 20th (and maybe ours too).
Spending our anniversary with a classic. Never disappoints. Toasty, yeasty, oxidative style, but lots of fruit in the 04 at present. Tasty now but should drink well on its 20th (and maybe ours too).
Jul 22nd, 2017
The bad thing about a Monday birthday is that it's Monday. The good thing is that you get to celebrate it all week. The show goes on... La Grande Année is Bollinger's tête de cuvée. It's both traditional and beautiful, providing the full array of rich brioche, roasted almond and hazelnut, baked apple, lemon zest, and finishes with a rhubarb chutney that real seals the deal for me. At two hours open all the components have aligned, resulting in an absolutely gorgeous expression of Champagne.
The bad thing about a Monday birthday is that it's Monday. The good thing is that you get to celebrate it all week. The show goes on... La Grande Année is Bollinger's tête de cuvée. It's both traditional and beautiful, providing the full array of rich brioche, roasted almond and hazelnut, baked apple, lemon zest, and finishes with a rhubarb chutney that real seals the deal for me. At two hours open all the components have aligned, resulting in an absolutely gorgeous expression of Champagne.
Jul 12th, 2017
Poached pear, peach and brioche. Fleshy, concentrated yet energetic. Lingering finish accented by spice. Youthful and cool, can't wait to enjoy another years down the road!
Poached pear, peach and brioche. Fleshy, concentrated yet energetic. Lingering finish accented by spice. Youthful and cool, can't wait to enjoy another years down the road!
2 people found it helpfulJul 6th, 2014
Wonderful champagne. Christmas 2017 in magnum.
Wonderful champagne. Christmas 2017 in magnum.
1 person found it helpfulDec 25th, 2017Meh. Not feeling it. Too much yeasty oak, not enough fruit. Going back to sparkling Vouvray.
Meh. Not feeling it. Too much yeasty oak, not enough fruit. Going back to sparkling Vouvray.
1 person found it helpfulJul 13th, 2013