Bollinger RD 2004

Open it three or four hours beforehand, as it opens wonderfully in the air. It then smells of dried apricots, hazelnuts, nougat and has great freshness and elegance on the palate. It is already in top form with potential for improvement. 

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.