BollingerR.D.2007Magnum

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.rrMadame Bollinger created the first vintage of this now legendary prestige cuvée in 1961 with the launch of R.D. 1952. An acronym for Recently Disgorged, Bollinger R.D. is the result of Madame Bollinger’s great vision: an expert wine with aromas enhanced by its exceptionally long maturation in the Bollinger family cellars â€?more than three times longer than required.rrWeather: Mostly a warm year, 2007 was characterised by unexpected major weather events. A warm spring was followed by a cool summer, then summer heat and moisture pushed ripening along fast, with many grapes harvested in late August. In the end sunshine prevailed helping produce excellent Chardonnay and in the top villages they ended up with some excellent Pinot Noir. A year where the Chardonnay is 1st class and the red grape performances were varied.rrThe critic ratings below give you an idea this 2007 is indeed a great champagne in a year that challenged many winemakers.rrTechnical Information:rVineyards: 14 Crus â€?91% Grand Cru, 9% Premier CrurGrape Varieties: 70% Pinot Noir & 30% ChardonnayrLees Ageing: 12.5 yearsrDisgorged: 8th September 2020rDosage: 3 g/lrDrink: Now to 2035+rrTasting Note: A pale gold with a stunning nose of pears, apples and hints of lemon.A wonderful freshness on the palate combines with caramel, honey and toasted brioche. A finely balanced acidity compliments a creamy mousse texture and right through to the finish there is underlying chocolate and hazelnut characters. A stunning champagne from a very giving year.rrWatch Essi Avellan MW & Nick’s video tasting review of this champagne here.