2014 Champagne Bollinger - La Grande Annee Brut

Decanter.com – 96 pts – TH: *Fermented in small oak barrels, predominantly bought second-hand from Burgundy, in which the wine ages for up to six months. A delicious conundrum in 2014, managing to be both deeply resonant and surprisingly subtle. Beneath fragrant blackberry and baked plum fruit sits the richness of chestnut honey, rye bread and cocoa. There’s zesty brightness and cooked orchard fruit, perfectly composed, shaped with precision and energy. Six and a half years on lees. One of the top 2014s.* - 04/2023

Falstaff Magazin – 97 pts - PM: *Helles Goldgelb, silberfarbene Reflexe, feines, gut anhaltendes Mousseux. Dunkle Mineralität, reifes gelbes Kernobst, ein Hauch von Biskuit, weiße Blütenaromen sind unterlegt, ein facettenreiches Bukett. Saftig, cremig, generöse Frucht am Gaumen, sehr vital strukturiert, mineralisch-zitronig im Abgang, verfügt über sehr gute Länge und sicheres Entwicklungspotenzial, ein zukünftiger Star der Serie. (Deg. 10/21, 2022).* - 10/2022

JancisRobinson.com – 17+/20pts – JR: *Intriguing nose with savoury notes and a bone-dry finish. Some oak influence evident. Lots to get your teeth into. Still quite youthful.* - 11/2023

Vinous.com - 98 pts - AG: *The 2014 La Grande Année is stunning. In fact, it is one of the best recent editions I can remember tasting. What comes through most is the wine’s sizzling energy and tension, qualities that aren’t often associated with Bollinger, where the Champagnes tend to show more breadth and volume. In 2014, readers will find a Grande Année built on linear intensity and drive. The 2014 is a blend taken from 19 villages, 61% Pinot Noir and 39% Chardonnay instead of the more typical 70/30 mix. For the second time in two decades (the first was 2007), Verzenay takes the lead in the Pinots over Aÿ, more or less an inverse from the norm. Verzenay, a north-facing village in the Montagne de Reims that saw less rain than Aÿ and most of the Vallée de la Marne, yields Pinots of energy more than volume. That, married with Chardonnays mostly from the Côtes des Blancs (predominantly Chouilly, Vertus, Oiry and Cramant), results in a truly magical Grande Année that will delight Champagne fans for several decades. I can’t recommend the 2014 highly enough. It’s a total knock-out. Disgorged: April, 2021. Dosage: 8 grams per liter.* - 03/2022