As often the case with rare bottles the second time is not as good as the first. The extreme and immense concentration is surely admirable. But this bottle lacks a bit of acidity so comes across as top heavy. The beer of champagne it is. Roasted, brown apple-y, oaky. Heavy and tiring after a while still unique and impressive.
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My first VVF. I get the interest in the style and origin. Fascinating combination of toasted pumpernickel bread and caraway with upper register lift and elegance. The family resemblance to other Bollinger is there but this is in a different gear. Decent mousse. Despite its fascinating assets I got the feeling it lacked a bit of sparkle and energy. Some say these VVFs are best consumed within a few years after disgorgement. I’d like to perform that experiment with different vintages.
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This was magnificent. Clear and gold in the glass. A developing nose with floral and fruit aromas. Medium and delicate bubbles. Apples in abundance. High acidity. Full bodied. High intensity. Long finish. Creamy in the palate. Leaves the 2004 & 2005 VVF behind. This was a seirous step up. Balanced and complex. A gift from TL
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The '02 vintage is pretty distinct, and this seems to me as much a reflection of that as VVF. This has more than a bit of mushroom tea and earthy notes (that's the VVF), and there's a very characteristic rich, powerful signature that I find in many of the top 2002s. Large scaled, and drinking fairly well now. It's a very nice wine, though I'm not sure it has quite the potential or degree of individual character that I might have expected from past experiences with other vintages of this wine.
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8/25/2023 - sdr Likes this wine: 91 Points
As often the case with rare bottles the second time is not as good as the first. The extreme and immense concentration is surely admirable. But this bottle lacks a bit of acidity so comes across as top heavy. The beer of champagne it is. Roasted, brown apple-y, oaky. Heavy and tiring after a while still unique and impressive.
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12/17/2022 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
My first VVF. I get the interest in the style and origin. Fascinating combination of toasted pumpernickel bread and caraway with upper register lift and elegance. The family resemblance to other Bollinger is there but this is in a different gear. Decent mousse. Despite its fascinating assets I got the feeling it lacked a bit of sparkle and energy. Some say these VVFs are best consumed within a few years after disgorgement. I’d like to perform that experiment with different vintages.
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5/9/2020 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 98 Points
This was magnificent. Clear and gold in the glass. A developing nose with floral and fruit aromas. Medium and delicate bubbles. Apples in abundance. High acidity. Full bodied. High intensity. Long finish. Creamy in the palate. Leaves the 2004 & 2005 VVF behind. This was a seirous step up. Balanced and complex. A gift from TL
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9/25/2019 - Lehto Likes this wine: 100 Points
Bollinger VVF Vertical Tasting at Geranium in Copenhagen hosted by Philipson Wine.
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4/23/2018 - psmith wrote: 93 Points
The '02 vintage is pretty distinct, and this seems to me as much a reflection of that as VVF. This has more than a bit of mushroom tea and earthy notes (that's the VVF), and there's a very characteristic rich, powerful signature that I find in many of the top 2002s. Large scaled, and drinking fairly well now. It's a very nice wine, though I'm not sure it has quite the potential or degree of individual character that I might have expected from past experiences with other vintages of this wine.
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