Bollinger RD 2008

With La Grande Annee 2008 and RD 2008, Bollinger has two exceptionally good champagnes that make the hearts of us champagne lovers beat faster.

What distinguishes Bolllinger RD 2008 from La Grande Annee 2008?

Both RD and la Grande Année are based on the same base wines, made from grapes from Bolllinger's own best vineyards. Rd, however, is aged three to six years longer on the lees and is released when it is already in a good drinking window. La Grande Annee 2008 is still closed and acidic. This was also the case with the Bollinger Vintage Champagnes, the predecessors of Grande Annee. Lily Bollinger therefore decided to leave the Vintage 1952 on the lees for longer and to launch it on the market in 1967 as RD - récemment dégorgé - which could be enjoyed without further ageing. Although bottle fermentation only lasts one or two months and the yeasts are no longer active afterwards, they slowly develop complex flavours. Notes of yeast biscuits emerge relatively quickly. Over the years, roasted notes reminiscent of coffee and earthy flavours reminiscent of truffles are added. The bubbles are very fine but remain more present than in the already disgorged bottles of La Grande Annee due to the ageing on the lees. At launch, R.D. 2008 is already more aromatically developed than La Grande Annee and the acidity is better integrated, while La Grande 2008 still shows untamed power.

What is the drinking window for RD? Should it be enjoyed before the Grande Année?

The 2008 RD is now in a good drinking window. It will probably close up a little by 2027, so that the fruit will no longer be quite so present. In the years after that, more and more interesting flavours will develop. The nutty, chocolaty flavours become more prominent compared to yeast and roasted notes. The fruit changes to dried apricots, citrus notes and orange peel.

In particularly good, concentrated vintages with high acidity, such as 1988, 1996 and 2008, the base wine asserts itself over time against the lees, which have less and less influence on the flavour. In these vintages, RD has a phase in which it shows fewer aromas two to three years after disgorgement. In many vintages, such as 2004 and 2007, RD remains characterised by the aromas of the yeast ageing without closing off again

In principle, RD can therefore be drunk earlier than La Grande Annee. However, in the 2012, 2014 and 2015 vintages, Grande Annee is also wonderful to drink after disgorgement.

RD 2008 is also structured for an eternity. It needs ten or fifteen years to reach its peak, at which point it will last for decades. The development of RD 1988, which you will also find in our range and which is the fruit of a similar vegetation process to 2008, makes such assumptions not certain but plausible. The 1988 RD is still improving. Only the 1979 RD can be said to be at its peak.

RD begins in the vineyard, which terroirs contribute to the RD 2008 cuvée?

The base wines for RD and La Grande Annee 2008 come mainly from the Grands Crus Ay and Verzenay, known for their Pinot Noirs, which make up 71% of the cuvée. Ay has the warmest sites in Champagne, ahead of Bouzy, Mareuil and Cumières, which are famous for their full-bodied Pinot Noirs. Long before the first champagnes were produced, Ay's red wines were the most famous in France, even before Burgundy. Thanks to the very deep, fine-pored limestone soils, the wines not only have body, but also structure and finesse. Not much further is Louvois, another Grand Cru known for its full-bodied Pinot Noirs, even if the vineyards are not as steeply south-facing. Like the neighbouring village of Tauxieres, which produces even finer wines, Louvois is another component of the great Bollinger cuvées. Verzenay is a somewhat cooler Grand Cru site that produces transparent, precise, salty, mineral Pinot. Avenay Val d'or and Verzy also contribute red grapes. Chardonnays from the famous sites of Le Mesnil sur Oger and Cramant provide a large proportion of the white grapes. However, lesser-known sites such as Grauves, which is known for its intense, racy acidity, and Cuis.

RD 2008 tasting note from Alfavin

Intensely roasted nuts, caramel, honey and a salty minerality are the first impressions. With a little air, fruit also emerges and complements the nut and roasted flavours. The RD 2008 already leaves a deep sense of satisfaction, but of course it is worth waiting. Experience with similar vintages teaches us that with years to come the striking acidity and yeasty perlage will integrate perfectly into the silky palate and the flavours evocative of nougat, gianduja, dried apricots and roasted coffee will become even more expressive. 

Read community tasting notes of RD 2008 on cellar tracker:https://www.cellartracker.com/RD2008

https://www.cellartracker.com/RD2008

Richard Juhlin champagneclub.com 97(95) (nachdem er 2008 mit dem ähnlichen 1979 vergleicht:)This beautifully sparkling 2008 is surprisingly light in colour, but will surely deepen towards more golden tones in the near future a little further from its fresh disgorgement date. The colossal and wonderful scent is of such dignity that words can never do it full justice. If I do try to describe this unique perfume, it is dominated by hazelnut cream from Piedmont, Domori chocolate from Venezuela, madeleine cookies, almond paste, wood sauna, gunpowder, grilled beef, duck liver, honeysuckle, mushroom cream, honey and nougat. It takes a long time in the glass before the fruit appears and at the same time the nutty and grilled aromas tone down a bit. The taste is vibrantly fresh while being rich and grilled nutty. Here, minerality and sea aromas such as iodine and oyster shells show up together with an apricot-like sublime fruitiness. After a fresh attack, my senses are left supremely satisfied with an exemplary long aftertaste of honey...

98 William Kelley Rober Parker's Wine Advocate.com 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.

99 James Suckling jamessuckling.com 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

750 mL

12.5

Champagne

Pinot Noir & Chardonnay

Sulphites

• Extra Brut

France

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