BollingerLaCoteauxEnfantsChampagne2013

Champagne Bollinger owns an impressive 178 hectares of vineyards, of which 85% are in Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages. Their land is spread over seven main villages: Aÿ, Avenay, Louvois, Tauxières and Verzenay planted with Pinot Noir; Cuis with Chardonnay; and Champvoisy with Meunier. Bollinger are one of the few Houses to produce the majority of their own grapes for their blends. Pinot Noir represents 60% of the House’s vineyards and defines the House style: complex and powerful with remarkable structure. In 2012 Champagne Bollinger was certified High Environment Value (HEV) this certification rewards a number of environmental procedures implemented at the Maison.rrLa Cote aux Enfantsâ€?is a steep sided 4 hectare vineyard established by Jacques Bollinger between 1926 and 1934, buying up over 50 plots from many owners and planted to only Pinot Noir. This historic piece of land has two defining features: the south slope, which is vinified as a still red wine, and the north-west slope, which was the previously hidden side of the vineyard used exclusively to splice the blend in La Grande Année Rosé. Since 2012 the north-west facing slope provides the grapes for the new champagne Bollinger La Cote aux Enfants Champagne.rrWeather: 2013 was characterised by a particularly late growing cycle. The never-ending winter was followed by a very cool, late spring. we had to wait until the start of July for flowering to begin â€?something we hadn’t seen in Champagne for quite some time! Fortunately, summer was glorious with plenty of sunshine, record temperatures and very low rainfall, ideal for the ripening of the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. the temperatures were cool for the October harvest and the resulting wines are elegant and fresh â€?the signs of a “classicâ€?vintage.rrTechnical Information:rVineyards: 100% Grand Cru | Aÿ: La Cote aux EnfantsrGrape Varieties: 100% Pinot NoirrLees Ageing: 8 yearsrDisgorged: March 2022rDosage: 4 g/lrFermentation: 100% small old oak barrels.rDrink: Now to 2036+rrTasting Note: A crispy crunchiness of the fruit is evident alongside the strong mineral highlights. The deep gold-toned colour shows evolution. On the nose yellow apple, apricot tart and waxy notes are further complexed by a fine toasty undertone. The oaky notes linger elegantly at the back, leaving the fruit to the fore. The year’s imprint comes across strongly on the super saline palate with unmissable chalky tone. Even if this march 2022 disgorgement with over a year on cork is beautifully expressive already, due to its tightness and pure and bright fruit quality, it comes with fine ageing potential. â€?Tasted by Essi Avellan MWrrWatch Essi Avellan MW & Nick’s video tasting review of this champagne here.