Champagne Brut Bollinger La Grande Année 2005 Review And Tasting Notes
The Champagne Brut Bollinger La Grande Année 2005 is one of the best Champagnes around. It has everything you are looking for in a great wine: character, thickness, structure, fantastic flavor, a crazy aromatic depth that takes on a thousand faces, a sidereal taste, and a crystalline elegance.
It is a blend of 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay. It’s true poetry, more than an assembly, a work of goldsmith art. Pinot Noir gives vigor, lots of fruit in alcohol, notes of moss and undergrowth, it is the backbone, but it is large and sumptuous, with a sharp background.
Chardonnay adds creaminess, poise, balance, and a tropical appeal.
The whole is fabulous, but for simple reasons: it is a perfect synthesis between day and night, there are no gaps between Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, they interpenetrate.
To understand how an incredible Champagne is made, Champagne Brut Bollinger “La Grande Annee 2005” is the wine to taste.
The terror of Ay and the fantastic 2005 vintage are enhanced to the nth degree. After the harvest, soft pressing and fermentation in tonneaux represent an opportunity for the wine to evolve, developing evolved notes and ripe fruit.
And the fruit is the protagonist: very ripe and complex, full. But now, many ferment the base wine in wood. It is the future. It allows the wine to express itself and broaden its horizons. Indeed, the Champagnes, all citrus, and salt are good, but we went much further in this case.
If we add to this the ideal conditions of the 2005 harvest, aging on the lees for 6 years, and the typical Bollinger style that prefers intense and cheeky wines, you have the formula for one of the best Champagnes of recent years.
The bouquet
An overwhelming waltz between Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Pyrotechnic nose with a frightening variety: first the hot and ripe fruit with sour cherries in alcohol, strawberries, peaches, and then mint and a storm of hazelnuts. And this profile of the fruit is shimmering: it remains austere, never repetitive or soft.
The yeasts have done a splendid job. They give a noble trait and variety, and then we have notes of honey and raisins, almost bourbon, and a rocky finish. Infinite persistence.
The taste
And here comes the beauty: the sip is full, savory, well structured, and dictated by a bright freshness that streaks the fruit. In the background, you can savor a thousand nuances of yeast with baked flavors.
Everything is declined with impeccable craftsmanship, smoothly, and despite robust structure, drinkability is spontaneous.
It moves with great naturalness on the palate, with incredible persistence. The balance is already excellent, even if its evolutionary phase is still in place and could go on for decades, but who can resist the charm of this mermaid?
Price
Aand after all these praises, you would expect a hefty bill, but no: it costs 115-120 euros. A ridiculous price for a Champagne of this caliber. Of course, it’s not cheap, but it is a unique wine due to particular conditions, a lot of care, and a long process. It has been 10 years in the cellar.
Food Pairings
With this thickness, it is a wine suitable for all occasions: aperitifs, important occasions, fish, sushi, and elaborate dishes based on white meats. Cantonese rice, parmigiana ravioli, spaghetti with clams, chicken tikka masala, Chicken Cacciatore, Vitello Tonnato, truffle risotto, pasta alla carbonara.