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Kirjeldus

Aastakäigu ehk “vintage” vääriline saagiaasta Champagne’s tähendab, et koristatud saak ja ka valmiv vein väljendavad endas erakordset kvaliteeti ja aastakäigu kordumatust. Sellistel aastatel saavutavad viinamarjad ideaalse küpsusastme, õigustades otsust valmistada veinisegu ühe kindla aastakäigu veinidest. Üksikaastakäigu champagne La Grande Année annab tunnistust Bollinger’i suursugususest, kombineerides iga aastakäigu eripära Bollinger’i veinmaja unikaalse stiiliga, rõhutades omakorda iga “terroir” omapära ja traditsioonilisi veinivalmistamise meetodeid.

La Grande Année 2018 valmistatakse 66% Pinot Noir ja 34% Chardonnay viinamarjadest, mis pärinevad 19st erinevast “cru” viinamarjaaiast (73% on “grand crus” ja 37% “premiers crus”), Pinot Noir tuleb põhiliselt Verzenay, Aÿ ja Mareuil-sur-Aÿ küladest, Chardonnay viinamarjad on kasvanud Choilly ja Cuis külakeste ümbruses. Esmane käärimisprotsess toimub 205, 225 ja 410 liitri suurustes vanades tammevaatides, vältides tugevate tammenüansside ja tanniinide omandamist. Kõik viinamarjasordid, eri viinamarjaaiad ja sageli ka aedade erinevad osad  kääritatakse eraldi. Veini küpsemisperiood pärmisettel kestab veinikeldris rohkem kui 8 aastat, kinnitatuna ajutiste “seenkorkidega”, pudeleid liigutatakse küpsemise ajal käsitsi (riddling). Pärast settest eemaldamist (disgorgement) lisatakse veinile dosage, mis La Grande Année puhul on 6 grammi liitri kohta.

La Grande Année on märkimisväärselt täidlane ja intensiivne, rikkalik ja kompleksne, väljendades kindla aastakäigu kasvu – ja ilmastikutingimusi. Värvus on kahvatu kollane kuldsete varjunditega. Aroom on äärmiselt kompleksne ja aromaatne, puuviljane, vürtsikas, floraalne, tunda metsikut virsikut, ploomi, apelsinikoort, safranit, väga värske ja mineraalne. Maitse on kontsentreeritud ja harmooniline, kreemine, äärmiselt värske, suurepärane elav mineraalsus, delikaaatne soolakas järelmaitse. Väga kõrge küpsemispotentsiaaliga 30 – 40 aastat.

Toitudest sobib tuunikala carpaccio’ga, mis on serveeritud marineeritud Daikon redise ja valge porgandiga, pannil praetud vasikaliha medaljoniga serveeritud koos shiitake seente ja valgete läätsedega, pannil praetud kammkarbiga, kammkarbi tartar’iga, grillitud homaariga, kvaliteetse linnulihaga kerges kooreses kastmes, maitsetaimedega Tome de Montagne juustuga, magustoitudest proovida aurutatud Comice pirniga serveeritud kibuvitsasiirupi ja sidrunisorbeega. Serveerida temperatuuril 10 – 12 kraadi.

“In the generous, precocious 2018 season, Bollinger chose to anchor La Grande Année in a resolutely classical register. Particularly satisfied with the authority of their Pinot Noir, the backbone is drawn from Aÿ, Verzenay and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. The Chardonnays come principally from Avize, Chouilly and Cuis, but in total, 19 grands and premiers crus contribute to the assemblage. The bouquet is immediately expressive, unfolding with ripe orchard fruit, yellow apple and poached pear, layered with Mirabelle plum, dried meadow flowers and a touch of sun-warmed straw. Aeration reveals subtle hints of light pastry and spice. On the palate, the texture is broad and finely chiselled, carried by a persistent salinity. The phenolic maturity of the warm vintage lends structure, framing the lush fruit. Despite its early approachability, there is no heaviness; instead, the wine combines suppleness with vibrancy, finishing long and seamless. Already gratifying yet clearly built for graceful evolution.” Essi Avellan 95-97 points

“Bollinger’s 2018 La Grande Année is quite pretty and delicate. Floral and citrus notes are nicely lifted in a Grande Année that offers notable sensuality and grace. Hints of orchard fruit, chamomile, mint and chalk build through the midpalate and into the taut, chiseled finish. There’s plenty of energy and focus. More importantly, this is a fine effort in a year marked by high yields in Champagne. I would give this a few years in the cellar. The 2018 is 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay from 19 villages, 73% Grand Cru and 37% Premier Cru. The core villages are Aÿ, Verzenay and Mareuil for Pinot Noir and Avize, Chouilly and Cuis for the Chardonnay. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: March 2025.” Antonio Galloni Vinous 96 points

“If 2015 was like a walk in the forest in autumn, 2018 is spring-winter just when nature is starting to wake up. Enormous expectant energy and an underlying well-hidden power that will be firing on all cylinders after 2035. A real knockout fist treacherously draped in silk gloves. Cold, fresh and sparkling notes of citrus and Granny Smith apples dance beautifully together with the more classic Bollinger notes of brioche and gunpowder-smoky minerality. Right now, there are more green apples here than red apples, more raspberries than peaches, more acacia and yellow roses than honeysuckle, more bitter almonds than hazelnuts, more cinnamon than tar, more shiitake mushrooms than cep, more butterscotch than chocolate, more light birch wood than heavy sauna notes.” Richard Juhlin 94-96 points

“Originating from a hot and dry growing season—particularly from mid-June onward—during which harvest began as early as August 23 and lasted for a full two weeks, Bollinger’s 2018 La Grande Année, composed of 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay, was disgorged in March 2025 with a dosage of six grams per liter. The wine has turned out very well in the vintage context, presenting—unsurprisingly—a broader and more succulent profile than the racy, fine-boned renditions of 2014 and 2008. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of peach, yellow apple, and orange peel mingled with freshly baked bread and mango, it is medium- to full-bodied, ample and textural, with a generous core of fruit, animated by a pillowy mousse and laden with ripe yet vibrant acidity, carrying through to a long finish. It is slightly more expressive in magnum format, though in either case, it will benefit from a few years of post-disgorgement aging to fully unwind.” Wine Advocate 94+ points