Bollinger R.D. 2004

• The 2002 and 2004 vintages are drinking beautifully now.
• However, they do not yet have the nutty, chocolatey maturity of the 1988 and 1979 vintages.

It is amazing how the longer yeast ageing has changed the R.D. 2004 compared to the La Grande Annee 2004. The latter is a powerful champagne with intense Pinot aromas. The R.D. 2004 is much finer and more restrained. Open it three or four hours beforehand, as it opens up beautifully when exposed to air. It then smells of dried apricots, hazelnuts and nougat and has great freshness and finesse on the palate. It is already in top form with potential for improvement.

In the 1960s, Lily Bollinger had the unusual idea of combining the refined maturity of an older vintage, in which the fruit is no longer the dominant feature, with the yeasty freshness of a champagne that has just been disgorged. In 1967, three R.D. vintages were launched simultaneously, as the quantities were small: the 1952 vintage appeared in England, Bollinger's most important market. The 1953 vintage was reserved for France and Switzerland. In the U.S.A. and Italy, the 1955 vintage was already available.

Richard Juhlin champagneclub.com 95(95) One of the most transformative experiences of my wine life was when I first tasted 1975 Bollinger R.D. with my parents in their home. During yesterday's Sunday dinner, I served them the latest edition from 2004 blindly. The 82-year-olds' reaction was not long in coming. Mom immediately exclaimed "the same wonderful aroma of chocolate and apricot as when we drank Bollinger R.D. in the 80's". So right she was. When Bollinger decides to launch the newest vintage of R.D., the wine must have had its characteristic autolytic character of freshly baked bread, chocolate, hazelnut and mushroom. At least that's the idea. I want to say that the latest vintage in 2002 did not have these characteristics at all at launch, but instead relied on an almost grassy elegance and refined acidic structure in a still youthful garb. With 2004, it's different. This is exactly how Bollinger R.D. should taste from the beginning. No one can be disappointed here. Perhaps 2004 is not one of the most heroic vintages, but one of the most classic. The very essence of the R.D. concept is to try to capture the optimal maturity of a wine together with maximum freshness. Unfortunately, I do not think the longevity is as good as in the La Grande Année version, but I may be wrong. The intensity of the mature layers of dark chocolate, tobacco, black truffle from Vaucluse and a melancholic walk in the damp autumn forest is impressive to say the least. The mousse has to struggle to get to the surface in the glycerol-rich essence of wine. Still, it tingles to lust on the tongue with stringency, chalk and is soundingly clean.

750 mL

12.5

Champagne

Pinot Noir & Chardonnay

Sulphites

• Extra Brut

France

Champagne Bollinger, 16 Rue Jules Lobet, 51160 Ay, Frankreich