Bollinger makes one of our favorite roses from the big houses, and the 2015 is another fantastic vintage that plays to the strength of their Pinot Noir. La Grande Année Rosé is one of the most serious and vinous rosé Champagnes from any major house, combining Bollinger’s powerful vintage style with the added depth of Pinot Noir from the legendary Côte aux Enfants plot, which is so good it is also bottled separately at times as a still red wine. The 2015 is built from 62% Pinot Noir and 38% Chardonnay, sourced from 11 crus, with the Pinot Noir coming mainly from Verzenay, Aÿ, and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and the Chardonnay from Chouilly and Avize. The rosé character comes from the addition of 5% red wine from La Côte aux Enfants, Bollinger’s historic Aÿ monopole, giving the wine color, structure, and a distinctly Burgundian sense of red-fruited depth. As with La Grande Année, fermentation takes place entirely in oak barrels, and the wine is aged under natural cork for more than twice the minimum required by the appellation. The 2015 vintage brings richness, texture, and concentration, with blood orange, red berries, peach, spice, toast, and savory mineral notes carried by Bollinger’s signature breadth and power. This is not a delicate, simple rosé; it is a gastronomic, ageworthy Champagne with a real Grand Marque presence, impressive complexity, and the structure to develop beautifully in the cellar.
Wine Advocate 96 points! Disgorged in February 2024 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, Bollinger's 2015 La Grande Année Rosé is showing very well, delivering notes of blood orange, cowberry and brioche mingled with nectarine stone. Medium- to full-bodied, the palate is muscular yet racy, with a crisp core of fruit animated by a pillowy mousse and framed by structuring extract that leads into a long, saline finish. Whereas many large-house rosés today tend to exhibit a cloying mid-palate sweetness, this cuvée avoids the trap and comes warmly recommended.
James Suckling 95 points! "This elegant, medium-bodied rosé includes select plots of pinot noir from the Cote Aux Enfants vineyard. It shows a medium orange-amber color, dark cherry-skin and candied-plum aromas followed by vivid strawberry and blood-orange flavors. Marked by finesse, light but very flavorful, complex and layered. Drink or hold."
2015 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année Rosé
2015 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année Rosé
Bollinger makes one of our favorite roses from the big houses, and the 2015 is another fantastic vintage that plays to the strength of their Pinot Noir. La Grande Année Rosé is one of the most serious and vinous rosé Champagnes from any major house, combining Bollinger’s powerful vintage style with the added depth of Pinot Noir from the legendary Côte aux Enfants plot, which is so good it is also bottled separately at times as a still red wine. The 2015 is built from 62% Pinot Noir and 38% Chardonnay, sourced from 11 crus, with the Pinot Noir coming mainly from Verzenay, Aÿ, and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and the Chardonnay from Chouilly and Avize. The rosé character comes from the addition of 5% red wine from La Côte aux Enfants, Bollinger’s historic Aÿ monopole, giving the wine color, structure, and a distinctly Burgundian sense of red-fruited depth. As with La Grande Année, fermentation takes place entirely in oak barrels, and the wine is aged under natural cork for more than twice the minimum required by the appellation. The 2015 vintage brings richness, texture, and concentration, with blood orange, red berries, peach, spice, toast, and savory mineral notes carried by Bollinger’s signature breadth and power. This is not a delicate, simple rosé; it is a gastronomic, ageworthy Champagne with a real Grand Marque presence, impressive complexity, and the structure to develop beautifully in the cellar.
Wine Advocate 96 points! Disgorged in February 2024 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, Bollinger's 2015 La Grande Année Rosé is showing very well, delivering notes of blood orange, cowberry and brioche mingled with nectarine stone. Medium- to full-bodied, the palate is muscular yet racy, with a crisp core of fruit animated by a pillowy mousse and framed by structuring extract that leads into a long, saline finish. Whereas many large-house rosés today tend to exhibit a cloying mid-palate sweetness, this cuvée avoids the trap and comes warmly recommended.
James Suckling 95 points! "This elegant, medium-bodied rosé includes select plots of pinot noir from the Cote Aux Enfants vineyard. It shows a medium orange-amber color, dark cherry-skin and candied-plum aromas followed by vivid strawberry and blood-orange flavors. Marked by finesse, light but very flavorful, complex and layered. Drink or hold."
