BollingerPN AYC18

PN AYC18 is a showpiece for the expansive dimensions, intoxicating allure and purity of Aÿ pinot noir; a wonderfully characterful blanc de noirs that celebrates the sumptuous fruit generosity of 2018 and the purity and precision of this fabled cru. With the generous tones of a full straw hue and a blush tint, it ripples with grand fruit depth of red cherries and perfectly ripe plums. The magnificent depth of complexity that is Bollinger rumbles in deep reserves, reminiscent of fruit mince spice and dried nectarines. I love that it is so emphatically Aÿ, so intrinsically Bollinger, and yet all transposed with the transparency and delicious fruit generosity that is 2018. It holds fantastic, succulent allure on a very long finish; the ripeness of 2018 translating in supple, silky fruit generosity, yet in no way heavy or broad, beautifully energised by the fine chalk salinity and pure acid freshness that make Aÿ such a beloved place.

Äntligen var det dags för Aÿ att inta scenen i Bollingers nya Pinot Noir-serie. Först i den fjärde upplagan kom man hem till husets starkaste fäste och DNA. I jämförelse med de tre tidigare upplagorna har vi att göra med en provningsvinnare från start. Ektonerna och hembyns rökiga anletsdrag slår emot mig som en vägg av bastu, grillat kött, hasselnötter och tjära. Färgen är djupare än tidigare och kraften större än i de tre första PN. 47 % av vinet kommer från hembyn med fat både från 2018 och i reservvinet på magnum från 2009. Däremellan har vi ståltankslagrad Tauxières, Avenay och Verzenay från de lättare och mer mineralpräglade årgångarna 2016 och 2017. Just denna sida tar störst plats i vinets mellanregister. I doft och eftersmak trycker sig Aÿ fram med sina breda muskulösa axlar och lämnar ingen oberörd. Ett fyndvin med topp 2030-2035 !

12.5% alcohol. The idea behind this cuvée is to explore the way Bollinger work with Pinot Noir, their main variety. This is 100% Pinot Noir, mainly from Aÿ, but also from Tauxières and Verzenay. The base year is 2018, but it’s a multivintage blend with the oldest vintage 2009 (overall, 47% of reserve wines in the blend, adding a lot of depth and richness). Dosage is 6g/litre. The base vintage was a warm one, with good yields and an early harvest (the first grapes were picked August 15th). Just the best (cuvée) press fraction was used for this wine. It’s a rich, complex Champagne, but shows beautiful balance, with notes of cherry, marzipan, honey, toasted almonds and also some crystalline citrus. Rich and viscous, with a full dynamic range, starting with sweet bass notes of ripe, luxurious fruit and toast, and then finishing with the treble of bright lemons and some lime. Sophisticated and intense, this has so much Pinot personality, so I reckon Bollinger have succeeded with their quest. So compelling and satisfying.

A wine of constant surprise and contrast, first with the heat and generosity of 2018 offering up voluminous roasted apricots and apples, a bittersweet orange citrus and peach kernel richness, a surprisingly silky and flowing mousse and finally an intriguing, smoky, reductive element coming from the magnum reserve wines. It’s a hugely engaging, detailed and rewarding wine, bold but refined. 100% Pinot Noir, predominantly from Aÿ, with support from the villages of Tauxières and Verzenay. Based on the 2018 vintage, with 50% reserve wines back to 2009.