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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.2 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 321 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by hargy on 4/23/2024 & rated 89 points: quite a deep golden now and a hint of oxidation although still quite drinkable - may have been an odd bottle (100 views) | | | Tasted by LT98 on 3/9/2024 & rated 95 points: Obviously reading the reviews there is bottle variation. Fortunately, this bottle was mature but still fresh. Great toast and yeast notes. Hazelnuts, almonds and great secondary flavors. It is spectacular now and I would not hold much longer if you are lucky enough to own one. (349 views) | | | Tasted by thesternowl on 3/7/2024 & rated 94 points: Rhône or Nôwhere 2.0 (Malcolm, NE): From magnum, the 1996 Grande Année pours a brilliant pale gold color with a persistent mousse. Initially, the wine showed more oxidative notes but it freshened up considerably with air (in fact, a tiny amount was leftover for the next morning and it remained brilliant, racy even!). On the nose, notes of almond, citrus, honey, chalky minerals and brioche. On the palate, wine is developing with absolutely brilliant acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and zippy. The 1996 vintage is simply amazing. Here we are, 28 years past vintage and this bright and full of life! Granted, it’s a magnum, but still. Drink now with patience or enjoy through 2046+. Merci Matt! (386 views) | | | Tasted by J_H on 1/13/2024 & rated 87 points: - Wow, this is fresh from the fist taste, bright shining aromas of a zesty straight line, orange peel, slithgt nutty, vanilla, yeast and burnt sugar. You can definitely feel the vibrancy and you just want to dive in.
- On the palate, a perfect balance between high but not too aggressive acidity and sharp but not too little body. It is such a pleasure, the flavours dance on the tongue. It's simply outstanding and makes for endless drinking pleasure. For more points I would need a bit more complexity than we have had in similar vintages.
- With more sips you really feel the high acidity of this 1996 vintage, for some people it will be too high.
- 96-97p (657 views) | | | Tasted by SimonG on 12/25/2023 & rated 94 points: Consistent with a bottle fifteen months ago, and indeed unchanged over the last decade or so. Rich, gingery brioche with an initial sense of vanilla crème pat, deepening to buttery biscuit and toast. Nicely mid to full weight with some depth and good energy. Just lacking a little mid palate complexity and length for really fine. ****1/2 (732 views) | | | Tasted by LW31 on 12/9/2023: Magnum. Old school deliciousness. Rich, deep, somewhat oxidative. Nothing hip here. (698 views) | | | Tasted by Collector1855 on 12/6/2023 flawed bottle: Still good on the palate but oxidized on the nose (1167 views) | | | Tasted by dagij on 10/1/2023 & rated 85 points: Deep straw color, very little mousse. Nose dominated by citrus, and very matutdeling yellowp Apples. Almost oxdized. Full bodied attack, lot of citrus and yellow Apples up front, very fine mousse, extreme punch on the aftertaste: oxodized yellow Apples,citrus, a salty tone. Very long. Clearly a serious wine, but this is a bit too oxidized for my likning. (1018 views) | | | Tasted by vagrantone on 8/31/2023 & rated 94 points: A very good showing for this Champagne.
Probably just past its peak at this point.
Slight golden hue but appropriate for its age.
Nice aromatics combining yeast autolysis , floral elements, red berries and savory notes.
Foam and carbonation still showing well but with the cork continuing to shrink, it's clearly time to drink this Champagne.
It lived up to both its name and the reputation of the 96 vintage. (823 views) | | | Tasted by RolfT on 6/5/2023 & rated 90 points: From magnum. Not fully mature yet, but was also a little unclean. Did not wow me as much as I had hoped it would. (1072 views) | | | Tasted by Eric on 4/15/2023: ESTG does Champagne (West Seattle, WA, USA): Sweet, cherry, really vivid red fruit character. (1619 views) | | | Tasted by ricknat1 on 3/23/2023 & rated 90 points: Round with nice flavors but seemed tired next to other wines (1236 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 2/21/2023: Knights of Alba (KOA) BYO Barbaresco Dinner (Legacy Records): One of my favorite wines of the evening. Respectfully disagree with note before mine. This was great precisely because it had lots of great age notes. All toasty and just that slight background of dark caramel (very light at this stage) and depth of flavor. Truly lovely wine. From magnum. (1611 views) | | | Tasted by sdr on 12/13/2022 & rated 87 points: It’s just too old 😰. Time has brought out oxidation well beyond even Bollinger’s normally oxidative style and no longer adds depth or complexity, only tired mealy brown apple flavors. Since the bubbles were appropriately active, the bottle seemed well preserved. Only a few champagnes from this vintage seem still to be doing well. (1511 views) | | | Tasted by valedeniro on 9/27/2022 & rated 96 points: Another wonderful bottle of this.Very light golden color...even paler than last time.Complex and very rich nose of ripe apple,brioche,dried fruits,lemon curd,honeyed florals and hints of white truffle.Powerful and creamy palate with soft bubbles,but still extremely lively,with great acidity,and lots of saline minerality.Not the slightest trace of oxidation.This is aged Champagne in its full glory. (4019 views) | | | Tasted by SimonG on 9/19/2022 & rated 94 points: Mid to full gold. Decent stream of bubbles and a nicely creamy mousse. Consistent with previous bottles five and ten years ago — 96 acidity giving a freshness, and the wine seemingly without the year’s Pinot problems, at least for this batch. Rich, gingery brioche with an initial sense of vanilla crème pat, deepening to buttery biscuit and toast. Nicely mid to full weight with some depth and good energy. Just lacking a little mid palate complexity and length for really fine. ****1/2 (1459 views) | | | Tasted by Frederyck on 9/2/2022: This bottle had too much sherry-tones to be as good as I'd hoped. There was still plenty of fruit, but the mineral side of the palate was muted. Still, very very enjoyable (1284 views) | | | Tasted by beatles on 3/10/2022 & rated 96 points: From MG. Majestic. Coffee and toast here, but also a refreshing acidity, that lives on. Goes on and on with sous bois, dark spices and real intensity.
#Jordnær (2341 views) | | | Tasted by Raage on 2/24/2022 & rated 96 points: (CDV)
Un bien beau Bollinger, vineux mais doté d'une fraicheur incroyable, citronné, agrume, épicé, notes de bonbon, il n'avait pas les atours évolués d'autres conscrits (aucune oxydation).
La bouche reste svelte, digeste avec une bulle abondante et fine.
Il se mariait parfaitement à la truffe au champagne, gardant sa vivacité et son caractère. (1791 views) | | | Tasted by hargy on 2/15/2022 & rated 93 points: this was superb - quite a gentle mousse now but great balance and complexity - no rush although I would have thought it unlikely to improve from here (1254 views) | | | Tasted by Sperls on 12/31/2021 & rated 94 points: Brought by G&T to NYE dinner 2021-22. Somewhat fearful given the below notes re age but this was a textbook great bottle that was exactly what you’d expect and want in aged champagne. Somewhat honeyed color, mature nose, fine bubbles, nice fruit with a touch of nuttiness/oxidation that made it interesting. Nice finish. (1387 views) | | | Tasted by dagij on 12/27/2021 & rated 94 points: Having just opened a 1995 that was half-way oxidized and very disappointing, it was with a certain fear I opened this bottle. And what a pleasant surprise! Deep golden color, but still with intense mousse and bubbles that just kept on coming for more than an hour. Deep aromas dominated by grilled lemons and oranges, lots of yeast, newly baked bread, nuts, dry wood, and - after a while in the glass - exotic spices like cinnamon and cardamom. Full bodied attack, high acidity, lots of sweet red apples, lemon and lime on the front, giving way to ripe lemon, red sweet apples and pickled citrus on the mid palate. the aftertaste is yeasty, very fresh, lots of bitter grapefruit, and a fascinating hint of minerals (iron and chalk) at the end. Very long. This wine was just stunning in all its complexity, but I have to admit it is quite challenging. Ideally a wine for food, but I guess that most wines of this age will - as in my case - end up for tasting. I would have loved this with grilled lobster with garlic and chili. Maybe my score here is to low. Drink now, I would not count on this getting any better. (1425 views) | | | Tasted by Tartiflette on 12/25/2021 & rated 93 points: Still in a great spot. Oxidative of course but great nevertheless. (903 views) | | | Tasted by bestdamncab on 10/22/2021 & rated 93 points: Thank you Alex for the pour, big, intense, floral nose, big body, fully mature, smoky, concentrated but slightly lacking complexity, very tasty, medium/long finish. (1522 views) | | | Tasted by robmatic on 9/11/2021 & rated 95 points: Very mature at this point, with subtle fizz. Soft, spicy, and long. (1381 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Charles Curtis MW
Decanter, Bollinger Producer profile (4/28/2021)
(Bollinger, Brut Vintage La Grande Année, Champagne, France, White) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Sep/Oct 2016, Issue #65, The Bi-Annual Champagne and Sparkling Wine Review Autumn 2016
(Bollinger “Grande Année” Brut Millésime (Aÿ)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (7/2/2016)
(Bollinger, La Grande Année Champagne White) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Sep/Oct 2014, Issue #53, The 2014 Champagne Addendum Round Two of Some Absolutely Superb Sparkling Wines
(Bollinger “Grande Année” Brut Millésime (Aÿ)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, December 2011
(Bollinger La Grande Année) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, December 2011
(Bollinger La Grande Année) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, May 2010
(Bollinger Grande Année) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Sep/Oct 2009, Issue #23, The Champagne and Sparkling Wine Addendum- Another Round of Fashionably Late-Arriving Bubbles
(Bollinger “Grande Année” Brut (served from magnum)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Brad Baker
Champagne Warrior, January 2009, Issue #1, The Top 50 Champagnes of 1996
(Bollinger Grande Annee) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, August 2007
(Bollinger Grande Année) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, May/Jun 2006, Issue #3, Recently Tasted Champagne: Non-Vintage and Vintages 2000-1964; Today’s Bi-Polar World of Bubbly
(Bollinger “Grande Année”) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, November/December 2003, IWC Issue #111
(Bollinger Grande Annee) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (1/28/2004)
(Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année) Reticent wheaty, yeasty nose; elegant, rich, tangerine, citrus, minerals palate with great acidity; long finish 94 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and View From the Cellar and JancisRobinson.com and Winedoctor and Champagne Warrior and Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Bollinger Producer website
U.S. Importer (add'l info)Champagne Blend"Champagne blend" is a classic grape blend that typically includes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier in any proportions.
However, this blend can also include Arbane, Fromenteau (Pinot Gris), Petit Meslier and/or Pinot Blanc as well.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comChampagne Le Champagne (Le comité interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne) | Grandes Marques & Maisons de Champagne (Union des Maisons de Champagne)
France - When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of consistent quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them. Click for a list of bestselling items from all of France.
Sub-Region:
Champagne - The French region of Champagne (including the cities of Rheims, Épernay, and Aÿ) was the first region in the world to make sparkling wine in any quantity. Today, the name of the region is synonymous with the finest of all sparkling wines, and wine-making traditions of Champagne have become role models for sparkling wine producers, worldwide. Surprisingly, the region of Champagne is now responsible for only one bottle in 12 of all sparkling wine produced. Styles of champagne range in sweetness ranging from an extra brut or brut 0, to the basic brut to demi sec to doux; some houses produce single vintage champagnes and others produce non-vintage (or incorporate wines/grapes of multiple vintages), often to preserve a specific taste; combinations of grape varietals; and colors, including a rosé. There are several sub-appellations, including the Valley of the Marnes river running from Épernay west, Massif de Saint-Thierry north and west of Rheims, Valley of the Ardre, the Mountains of Rheims (between Rheims and Épernay), Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, and Côte des Bar in the South. Champagne wine only uses three grape varietals (cépages): Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.ChampagneThe vineyards of Champagne on weinlagen-info |
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