Bollinger - Champagner Vintage R.D. 2008

JAMES SUCKLING: "Amazing aromas of sweet uncooked pie crust with almonds. Then you smell dried apples, apricots and pineapple. Grilled fruits, too. Full-bodied. So tangy and energetic with sizzling acidity and creamy tannins. Flavorful and lightly oxidized at the finish. Smacking my lips. Agile. Ginger and spices. A touch of bitter complexity with some salinity. Extreme character that grabs your attention. 13 years and six months aging on the lees with cork. 3 grams dosage. 71% pinot noir and 29% chardonnay. Don’t serve too cold. Drink or hold."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "When I was tasting Bollinger's brilliant Grande Année in this vintage, I was trying to imagine how good the 2008 Extra-Brut R. D. would be, as the style of the vintage seems almost perfectly adapted to this cuvée. Four years later, we have the answer, and the wine is brilliant. Disgorged in 2022, it's more reserved out of the gates than the dramatic Grande Année was on release, unwinding in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, orange peel, freshly baked bread, subtle hints of fino sherry, wet stones and macadamia nut. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, with a deep core of fruit that's animated by racy acids and a refined pinpoint mousse, concluding with a bone-dry finish. Extremely harmonious and full of youthful energy, it's the finest R. D. of the decade and one that will richly reward a bit of additional age on cork. In style, the most obvious comparison is with the 1996, but the 2008 is more integrated and harmonious on release. These bottles were disgorged late last year with three grams per liter dosage."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "Emerging like a genie from a bottle, so full of life and magic, the Bollinger R.D. 2008 unwinds gradually to reveal aromatic layer after layer of white peach, Meyer lemon confit, kumquat, wafer cookies, wet stones and acacia honey intermingling with bready and faintly oxidative, nutty notes. Medium to full-bodied and full of high-toned energy, the palate is wonderfully silky and lithe with a super fine, creamy mousse full of stimulating acid freshness, exquisite saline intensity, and a chalky finish with a beautiful citrus peel note. A blend of 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay, it was disgorged 09 December 2022 and finished Extra Brut with a three gram per liter dosage. As beautiful as it is now, it has many years of excellent drinking ahead."

WEINWISSER: "Die Idee hinter dem R.D. stammt von Lily Bollinger und steht für Recémment Dégorgé. Inspiriert durch den Grande Année führen sie zwei Dégorgements durch. Es bezeichnet einen Champagner, der sehr lange auf der Hefe gereift ist. Die Assemblage des Jahrgangs 2008 besteht zu 71 % aus Pinot Noir und zu 29 % aus Chardonnay. Es handelt sich um 18 Crus, hauptsächlich aus Aÿ und Verzenay für den Pinot Noir und aus Le Mesnil-sur- Oger und Cramant für den Chardonnay. Die Gärung erfolgte ausschließlich in Eichenfässern. Der «R.D.» von Bollinger wird nur wenige Monate nach dem Degorgieren mit einer sehr geringen Dosage (Extra Brut), von 3 Gramm in den Handel gebracht. Komplexes, ungemein animierendes Bouquet mit Birnentarte, Orangenschale – und Öl, feinstes, à point reifes Kernund Steinobst, weiße Blüten, Kamille, das Ganze untermalt von subtilen und nuancierten kreidigen und kalkigen Noten. Hinzu kommen Noten von frisch gebackenem Brot und zart geröstete Haselnuss. Am Gaumen ist er vollmundig und tief, mit salzigem Schmelz, durchzogen von einer lebendigen Frucht und ziselierten Säure."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2008 Champagne R.D. Extra Brut is chiseled, powerful, and packaged with a chalky mineral texture. Made from 70% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay, with 3 grams per liter dosage, it pours a bright straw yellow hue, while its aromatics are more mineral-tinged and feel a touch more noble and upright in character. Aromatically, it opens to notes of toasted almond, preserved Meyer lemon, brothy saline, and vibrant fresh fruit. Displaying tension and grace, it has the richness of Bollinger but is more upright, with an electric mineral energy that courses through the finish, which lasts for days. Mouthwatering and long, it’s a stunner. It needs more time to harmonize all its components, but this is a wine to cellar for the ages, and I think this is going to be a vintage of RD we talk about for a very, very long time. Cellar it if you can and drink 2026-2056."

DECANTER: "The late-disgorged edition of La Grande Année 2008 continues to dazzle, showing beautifully controlled, promising evolution since its debut in 2023. Roasted hazelnut, brown pastry and buttery apricot tart hint at decadence, with the nut-milk creaminess and iodine-like notes of RD still held in check beneath the sheer force of the vintage’s drive and citric energy. A huge, buzzing finish promises longer life still for this show-stopping Champagne. 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims, Grande Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs, vinified in old oak barrels and disgorged by hand after 13 years on lees."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This focused Champagne is all about the graceful definition of power, with an up-front, austere edge to the steely acidity, which is softened by the fine, plush mousse and well-integrated with the rich profile. Toasted hazelnut, crystallized honey, peach skin and nectarine flavors expand on the palate, accented by hints of ground ginger, oyster shell and preserved lemon, with a racy streak of salinity that drives the mouthwatering finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Disgorged October 2022. Drink now through 2038. 300 cases imported."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Lightly smoky nose and extremely tense with some of the mushroom notes that are so characteristic of mature Bollinger. (Though hazelnuts were chosen as the overriding character and theme of the launch dinner by chef de cave Denis Bunner.) Still extremely youthful though it did open out in the glass, auguring well for bottle development."