La Grande Année - 2000
Bollinger
- Region
- France » Champagne AOC
- Type
- white traditional sparkling, brut
- Producer
- Bollinger
- Vintage
- 2000
- Disgorged
- 2010-05
- On lees
- 108 months
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
- Alcohol
- 12
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- not available
This blend consists of 63% Pinot Noir and 37% Chardonnay, with 76% of the grapes sourced from Grands Crus vineyards and the remaining 24% from Premiers Crus.
Ratings
The wine presents a blend of pâte de fruits, a damp cellar aroma, and mushrooms, along with bruised apple and dried fruits. It appears a bit tired, both in the nose and on the palate, yet still maintains good acidity. Its complexity is noteworthy, and there's an interesting bitterness in the finish, leading to a long aftertaste.
Strangely, this regular bottle spent more time on lees than magnum.
Bollinger
Bollinger, a renowned French Champagne house, has been a symbol of luxury sparkling wines since its establishment in 1829 in Aÿ, France. Founded by Hennequin de Villermont, Paul Renaudin, and Jacques Bollinger, it remains one of the few independent Champagne houses, continuously managed by the Bollinger family since 1889. Bollinger's uniqueness lies in its deep roots in the Champagne region, dating back to 1585 with the Hennequin family. This storied history, coupled with their commitment to maintaining family management and independence, sets them apart in an industry increasingly dominated by large conglomerates.
Over the years, Bollinger has built its vineyards at the heart of the finest crus in Champagne. Champagne Bollinger’s 179 hectares of vines are made up of 85% Grand and Premier crus and are farmed by teams of growers across 7 separate vineyards: Aÿ, Avenay, Tauxières, Louvois and Verzenay for pinot noir, around the Montagne de Reims, Cuis for chardonnay on the Côte des Blancs and Champvoisy for meunier in the Vallée de la Marne.
Another of Bollinger’s distinctive features are two plots, the Clos Saint-Jacques and Chaudes Terres, which have never succumbed to phylloxera. These ungrafted vines are entirely tended by hand and reproduced using a form of layering called provignage, thereby providing the means to preserve this extraordinary heritage from which the very exclusive Vieilles Vignes Françaises cuvée is produced.