2002 Champagne Bollinger, R.D., Extra Brut
Description
Bollinger’s 2002 R.D. was always going to be special. It is a great vintage, a grand house and a magnificent pedigree. From the beginning, it flows into the glass, creating a superb, creamy mousse that leads to brioche and honeyed hints, signifying all the richness, weight, and sheer concentration that late disgorgement brings to the best Champagne.
That gorgeous creaminess first seen at pouring comes through again, tight-knit and in multiple waves of different hues and flavours before finally finishing fresh, youthful and even zesty. A terrific wine and one to intrigue for decades – on those very special occasions.
Tom Cave, Private Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd
With the anticipated excitement around the quality of the 2002 vintage, this wine was bound to be thrilling, and we are not disappointed. There is a full and lively mousse, an effervescence that accentuates the aromas of hazelnut, manuka honey, gunflint, white flowers and dried Verbena on the nose.
At first, the palate is rich, open and full of swathes of ripe pear and honey; in a matter of moments, this opulence turns on itself. The tension and nerve on the back of the palate are incredible; the acidity and energy are taut and steely, much like a playful yet painfully shy child. This 2002 R. D. is complex and cerebral. Full of intrigue now but one that will last for years.
Stuart Rae, Commercial Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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Colour
White -
Sweetness
Dry -
Vintage
2002 -
Alcohol
12% -
Body
Full Bodied -
Producer
Bollinger
Critics reviews
Fully mature aromas comprise lovely brioche, citrus and baked apple nuances. There is a notably refined bead to the mousse that is dense, yet a little aeration allows the beautifully delineated yet subtly shaded full-bodied flavours to shine before culminating in a beautifully long, complex, intensely yeasty and classy finish.
As the R.D. almost always is, this is full-flavoured, yet it arguably drinks like a blanc de blancs because of its purity and subtlety. In a word, this is gorgeous. Note that I have experienced some bottle variation, with some seeming distinctly more youthful than others.
Drink now
The most remarkable thing about the 2002 Extra Brut R.D. is its tense and structure. Despite being disgorged over two years ago, the 2002 is tightly wound. After several hours, the power and resonance of the vintage start to come through, along with the natural richness of Pinot from Aÿ. Whereas most 2002 Champagnes are quite ripe in profile, the 2002 R.D. has plenty of depth, but it is depth through concentration instead of elevated ripeness.
The low dosage style further adds to that sensation. Hints of chamomile, sage, dried flower and red fruits emerge over time, but only with reluctance. I prefer to cellar the 2002 for at least a few years. If that is not possible, readers should open the wine at least a few hours in advance. Even so, the 2002's best drinking lies somewhere in the future. I sense that the 2002 will be at its best between the ages of 20 and 30.
Disgorged: September 11, 2015.
Drink 2020 - 2032
This late-release version of the vintage wine from Bollinger was 13 years on the lees before being disgorged in May of 2017 with an extra-brut dosage of just 3g/L. The initial blend was 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, fermented in cask, and aged under cork. The wine is a sublime expression of the late-disgorged style, both very fresh and showing characteristic notes of coffee and toast that long lees ageing brings. The texture is very lively and crisp, and the energy of the 2002 vintage carries this to an immense finish. This wine should age for decades.
Drink 2021 - 2051
Disgorged 17 May 2017. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay usually more like 30%).
Incredibly intense aromas – baked apple, cinnamon, freshly baked bread. Conventional and recognisably champagne, but to a greater, more intense degree. There is some creamy coffee on the palate and wonderfully savoury salinity on the finish. Very, very long persistence. Champagne to the power of ten.
Drink 2018 - 2033
I've encountered some bottle variation with Bollinger's 2002 Extra-Brut R. D., but this example, disgorged in 2016, was showing exceptionally well, offering up a deep bouquet of dried fruits, orange zest, mocha, spices, English walnuts and hazelnuts. Full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with a pillowy, seamless profile and a fleshy core, it concludes with a long, sapid finish. With two grams per litre less acidity than the more incisive 2008 which has yet to be released as R. D.), the 2002 is a giving, expansive wine that is drinking well today.
Drink 2015 - 2030