Bollinger - Brut Champagne Grand Année 2014
Price: $199.96
Producer | Bollinger |
Country | France |
Region | Champagne |
Varietal | Champagne Blend |
Vintage | 2014 |
Sku | 795682 |
Size | 750ml |
La Grande Année is only made in the best of vintages and stands at the pinnacle of Champagne Bollinger's sensational lineup of wines. Pinot Noir-dominated from entirely estate grown Grand and Premier Cru fruit primarily sourced from Aÿ, Verzenay, Chouilly and Oiry. Grande Année is a beast. A gorgeous beast.
The fermentation process occurs exclusively in 20 year old oak barrels made and maintained by their in-house cooper. The Champagne's undergoes an extended aging period that surpasses the minimum aging requirements set by Champagne's governing body by more than twice.
The 2014 drinks spectacularly now but is obviously built to last for decades. This vintage resulted in the creation of a precise, fine, and complex wine, attributed to its minerality and exceptional intensity. It is 61% Pinot Noir and 39% Chardonnay.
Vinous Media: 98 Points
The 2014 La Grande Année is stunning. In fact, it is one of the best recent editions I can remember tasting. What comes through most is the wine’s sizzling energy and tension, qualities that aren’t often associated with Bollinger, where the Champagnes tend to show more breadth and volume. In 2014, readers will find a Grande Anee built on linear intensity and drive. The 2014 is a blend taken from 19 villages, 61% Pinot Noir and 39% Chardonnay, instead of the more typical 70/30 mix. For the second time in two decades (the first was 2007), Verzenay takes the lead in the Pinots of Aÿ, more or less an inverse from the norm. That, married with Chardonnays mostly from the Cotes des Blancs (predominately Chouilly, Vertus, Oiry, and Cramant), results in a truly magical Grande Année that will delight Champagne fans for several decades. I can’t recommend the 2014 highly enough. It’s a total knock-out.
Jeb Dunnuck: 97 Points
Raised entirely in barrel, the 2014 Champagne La Grande Année Brut is all about finesse and capturing the cool, mineral tension and floral notes of the vintage. Enhancing those qualities, a bit higher proportion of Chardonnay was used for this release, making up 39% of the blend. It pours a pale straw, and it is layered and persistent with lightly toasted pastry, Mirabel plum liqueur, and saline. The palate is dry and more tightly wound at this stage, with driving citrus, a chalky texture, and a light phenolic finish. Subtle undercurrents of honey and butterscotch should continue to evolve beautifully over the coming decades. *#1 Wine of the Year, 2022
Wine Advocate: 95 Points
Offering up complex aromas of crisp yellow orchard fruit, confit citrus, frangipane, walnuts, dried white flowers and subtle hints of iodine, Bollinger's 2014 Brut La Grande Année is medium to full-bodied, pillowy and vinous, with an elegantly fleshy core of fruit that's underpinned by racy acids and complemented by a pretty pinpoint mousse. Concluding with a long, chalky finish, this is a charming but precise Grande Année that's more giving and demonstrative than its immediate predecessor, the 2012, but which attains a very similar level of quality in a more challenging vintage—testimony to the serious viticulture that underpins Bollinger's contemporary excellence. (
James Suckling
Plenty of pie-crust and bread-dough aromas with lemon and apple tart. Flint as well. Medium to full body with a creamy texture and lovely elegance. It was a difficult vintage, but this came out nicely. Contrastive. Crisp at the end, even though the mid-palate is fruity. 61% pinot noir and 39% chardonnay. All fermented in barrel. 7 g/l dosage.
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