Wine Advisor
Bollinger, La Grande Annee Brut 1999
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Description
La Grande Annee by Champagne Bollinger is an exceptional, timeless champagne. Crafted with artisanal savoir-faire, it undergoes vinification in oak barrels, lending complex aromas and remarkable aging potential. The 2014 vintage, an assembly of 19 crus (61% Pinot Noir from Aÿ and Verzenay, 39% Chardonnay from Chouilly and Oiry), reveals golden glints and a precise, fruity nose. On the palate, fine effervescence, vinosity, delicate acidity, and sea-air finish create excellent length.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Distinctively oxidative notes on the nose dominated by roasted hazelnut and brioche, and backed-up with warm applesauce sauce and strawberry tart. The broad palate fills the mouth with rich red berry flavours and is well supported by a firm backbone of crisp acid. Well integrated dosage and very fine, persistent bubbles. Long finish. Drink now – 2018. Tasted October 2008.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A very fine mousse. The nose is very precise, great attack with citrus fruits at first, giving way to touches of lime, smoke, sea shells. The palate is fabulous balance, very feminine, beautifully poised, hints of green apple, a touch of strawberry and great finesse and mineralite on the finish. Good length. This has a sense of effortlessness and class suffused from beginning to end. Tasted October 2008.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1999 La Grande Annee is a refined, elegant wine with pretty, exotic notes of apricots, peaches, honey, flowers, smoke and toasted oak. There is notable clarity and precision, in a style that is generous and approachable. The 1999 La Grande Annee is 63% Pinot Noir and 37% Chardonnay, of which 82% came from grand cru vineyards while 18% came from premier cru sites spanning a total of 16 villages. The wine was aged in oak and dosage was 7-9 grams. This bottle was disgorged in July, 2007. I also tasted the February, 2008 disgorgement which showed a more opulent, quality that I found utterly sensual and irresistible. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2014. Under the direction of Chef de Caves Mathieu Kauffmann, Bollinger produces one of the most consistent lineups in Champagne.Bollinger is one of the handful of larger firms that manages to put out consistently high quality wines despite its size. This estate based in Ay is probably best known to the public through its long association with the James Bond films, which is quite possibly one of the most successful product placement campaigns of all time. Despite the show biz glamor that has inextricably become part of the Bollinger mystique, at their best these are serious wines with significant aging potential. The low-dosage R.D. (recently-disgorged) series can be tremendous, and the Vielles Vignes Francaises, made from pre-phylloxera Pinot Noir vines, is one of Champagne's most exotic bottlings. The estate favors neutral oak barrels for the aging of its top wines. One of the most unique aspects of this estate is that the reserve wines are aged in magnum, rather than in tank, which is the prevailing custom in the region. Bollinger's back labels are quite informative, but it would be nice to see disgorgement dates as well on the non-vintage wines. Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A light straw colour. A delicate, well defined nose with citrus fruits, fresh apricot, wild strawberries and a touch of orange blossom with a hint of wild mushroom developing with time. A steely entry on the palate, good acidity (3.9g/L), almost racy, great minerality on the mid-palate with an almost Blanc de Blanc like sheen (even though it is 37% of the blend.) A twist of lime, a touch of green apple towards the penetrating, almost shrill finish and yet elegant. Needs time, say 1-2 years to calm down but not a long-term proposition. Tasted December 2008.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1999 La Grande Année a is refined, elegant wine with pretty, exotic notes of apricots, peaches, honey, flowers, smoke and toasted oak. There is notable clarity and precision here, in a style that is generous and approachable. The 1999 La Grande Année is 63% Pinot Noir and 37% Chardonnay, of which 82% came from grand cru vineyards while 18% came from premier cru sites spanning total of 16 villages. The wine was aged in oak and dosage was 7-9 grams. This bottle was disgorged in July 2007. I also tasted the February 2008 disgorgement which showed a more opulent, quality that I found utterly sensual and irresistible.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
(disgorged December, 2006) Pale straw. Vibrant, exotically perfumed bouquet evokes fresh pear and nectarine, with a wild spicecake quality adding complexity. Cinnamon-accented orchard fruit flavors are strikingly precise and palate-coating. Delivers outstanding concentration and finesse and finishes with superb persistence.
About the Producer
Established in the commune of Aÿ-Champagne in 1829, the House of Bollinger is home to an impressive legacy of winemaking excellence, achieved through the polished precision of a finely tuned timepiece. Today, the Bollinger Champagne House reigns over 440 acres dedicated to the vine in the Champagne region of northern France, of which an impressive 85% is classified Grand Cru or Premier Cru. The vineyards are spread out over 7 main communes. Pinot Noir is planted in Ay (the headquarters of the House), as well as Avenay, Verzenay, Louvois and Tauxieres. Meanwhile, the House’s Chardonnay comes from Cuis, while Pinot Meunier is planted in Champvoisy. A complex and powerful grape, Pinot Noir represents 60% of the total plantings, which corresponds to the exact proportion of this grape variety in the blend of the House’s signature Special Cuvee. The two crown gems of the House are its twin plots, the Clos Saint-Jacques and Chaudes Terres, where ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines are tended to by hand, their fruit used to produce the very exclusive and rare Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises cuvee.
