La Grande Année 2005

The wine in this vintage

2005 was a warm, sunny year in Champagne, but rain before harvest called for strict selection; Pinot Noir fared better than Chardonnay, and few houses declared a vintage. Drawing on its Aÿ vineyards, Bollinger produced a rich, structured La Grande Année 2005 with a vinous frame, offering ripe yellow fruit, baked apple, sweet spice and the house's trademark toasted hazelnut from barrel fermentation. Jancis Robinson rated it 18.5/20, recognising the depth achieved in a tricky year. The structure is still assertive and the wine has not yet shown its full potential: a gastronomic Champagne for lovers of power, best given further time in the cellar before it reaches its peak.

The producer · Bollinger

Founded in Aÿ in 1829, Bollinger remains one of the very few great Champagne houses that is still independent and family-owned. Its modern identity bears the stamp of Madame Lily Bollinger, who ran the house from 1941 to 1971, famously cycling through the vineyards and instilling an uncompromising culture of quality. The house farms a substantial estate of its own, largely rated Grand and Premier Cru, with Pinot Noir from Aÿ, Verzenay and Bouzy as the backbone of its style. Tradition here is a working method rather than a slogan: a significant share of the wines is fermented in small, seasoned oak casks looked after by an in-house cooper, reserve wines are kept in magnums under cork, and lees ageing is long. The result is vinous, deep Champagne with an almost still-wine texture and the ability to age for decades. Its flagship cuvées, La Grande Année, R.D. and the rare Vieilles Vignes Françaises from ungrafted vines, are benchmarks for serious collectors.

Critics' scores

• 94 Wine Spectator
• 18.5/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Bollinger

Region

Champagne

Country

Francia

Type

Bollicine

Vintage

2005

When to drink

Not yet at its peak

Critics' average

94/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0090205