2015 Champagne Bollinger, La Grande Année, Brut

Bollinger's 2015 Brut Grand Année is an intriguing wine in that is clearly reflects the decision to pick on the later side in order to avoid vegetal notes derived from the mismatch of alcoholic and phenolic ripeness.

"Balance was hard to achieve in 2015," Chef de Cave Dennis Bunner notes. "At 10% in sugar, the fruit was simply not ripe. We had to wait to reach the optimal window of ripeness." Bunner also opted to increase the Chardonnay, so the blend is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, as opposed to the more typical 70/30 blend, with more Verzenay than Aÿ in the Pinots.

Dried citrus peel, sage, menthol, sage, tangerine peel and spice build with some coaxing. Light tropical overtones develop with aeration. There's real density and textural richness here. This will be a fascinating vintage to follow. Stylistically, it is the complete opposite from the much more linear 2014 that precedes it. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged: May 2023.

Drink 2028 - 2040

A bright yellow straw color, the 2015 Champagne La Grande Année is a little shy on the nose initially but opens to reveal a slightly sunnier feel with notes of mandarin orange, bitter almond, chalky earth, delicate toast, and spice. It’s more intense on the palate, with a pithy and broader structure. This was a tricky year, but the mousse is lively and has lift, and is not overtly vegetal in the profile. A full-bodied and savory wine all the way through, with a briny feel on the finish, it’s going to benefit from another year or two in bottle and drink well over the coming 10-15 years.

A hot year with drought issues made Bollinger seek freshness and subtlety via Pinot Noirs of north facing terroirs and an unusually high proportion of Chardonnay 40%). The nose oozes lush red berry fruit, golden raisins and tropical fruit exuberance. Rich and ripe in profile, the wine is laudably free of the culprit of the year, the vegetal austerity, which Bollinger was able to avoid by barrel vinifications’ effect in removing excess phenolics and the strict selection enabled by individual barrels. There is impressive density on the textured palate, that finishes on a spicy note adding on to the wine’s freshness. A rare success in 2015, this is a vintage for the friends of Bollinger’s classically vinous style. Due to its richness and structuredness it promises fine potential for ageing.

Full bottle 1,637 g. A blend of 11 crus, 79% Grand Cru, 21% Premier Cru, predominantly 60% Pinot Noir from Verzenay, Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and 40% Chardonnay from Chouilly and Avize. All oak-fermented and hand-riddled. Disgorged June 2023. Dosage 8 g/l.

Mid straw. Very deep-flavoured on the nose. Some richness and only the beginning of Bollinger's trademark mushroom flavour which I would expect to develop with time. Lighter on the palate than the nose at the moment. It's currently a little more sprightly than some Grande Années.

Enticing, fragrant aromas of toast, lemon zest and an earthy-smoky nuance lead to a palate of subtle Bosc-pear, mango, papaya, even pineapple flavors. Lifted by fresh acidity on the medium-bodied palate, the wine keeps unfolding in toasted walnuts, honey and a dash of bitter marmalade. It’s mouth-filling, alive with acidity and full of finesse. Drink or hold.

The color is already deep golden with a fine stream of tiny bubbles fighting their way up through the glycerol-rich concentrated wine. Intense and rich and at the same time nuanced and complex. The small concentrated grapes ultimately produced an ultimate gastronomic masterpiece.

The scent cannonade is classic Bollinger, but fresh and more nuanced than I expected from the vintage. Stone fruits, honeysuckle, honey, plum marmalade, Cox Orange, raspberry, almond, hazelnut, leather, tanned skin, cigar, and duck liver are all clear instruments in the orchestra playing their richly generous vintage anthem. The freshness does not come from acid this time, but from lack of water and concentrated extracts in a similar way as the even more extreme 2003.

I finish I find tobacco, forest and chocolate with sea salt, a delicious combination. Precisely the saltiness and the slightly higher tannin content contribute to making this a perfect partner for poultry in all its forms.

60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims, Grande Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs, all fermented in small oak barrels and disgorged in May 2023 after seven years on lees.

A forward vintage for La Grande Année, with warmth evident in its roasted orange, Comice pear and Mirabelle plum, all polished with a sense of savoury maturity that is very Bollinger at heart. There’s a little more oxygen influence seemingly at play than in the 2014, with brine, nuts and a little dried leaf character already taking this far beyond fruit. The food-friendly chewiness of 2015 is there, but the mousse is supple and the Chardonnay brings the wine to a close with a fine, cooked lemon snap. This will start to show its best integration from 2025 onwards, although it is open for business now.

Drink 2025 - 2034

The 2015 Brut La Grande Année was disgorged last year with eight grams per liter dosage. The wine has turned out beautifully, exhibiting a more muscular, old-school Bollinger profile in contrast to the unusually racy, fine-boned 2014 that preceded it. Wafting from the glass with notes of pear, orange oil and white flowers mingled with notions of mocha, toasted hazelnuts and fino sherry, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, with a dense core of fruit framed by chalky structuring extract, concluding with a long, sapid finish.