Name: Bollinger Champagne la Grande Annee 2012 750ml
Brand: Bollinger
SKU: 886316
Price: 146.43 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 95 (9 reviews)

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Winery

Bollinger

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Varietal

Champagne Blend

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn't unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as 'blanc de blanc', meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or 'blanc de noir', which is made solely with Pinot Noir.

Country

France

France, often regarded as the heart of the wine world, boasts a rich history, diverse terroirs, and a captivating variety of grape varietals. From the renowned vineyards of Bordeaux to the picturesque landscapes of Burgundy, France offers a wine lover’s dream journey. Whether you’re new to the world of wine or a seasoned enthusiast looking […]

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Region

Champagne

The beautiful rolling hillsides of the Champagne region of France have, for hundreds of years, been producing many of the world's most famous wines. The sparkling white wines to come out of Champagne's prestigious wineries have conquered the world, and are drank in celebration across the globe. The vast majority of the region is under vine, and grows predominantly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grape varietals, which are usually blended together by master wine-makers in order to make their recognizable and widely loved produce. The north-easterly region of Champagne has a relatively cool climate, and quite a lot of rainfall, making it far from ideal for ripening grapes. However, the presence of heavily forested areas in the region helps maintain a balanced temperature, and the generations of expertise the wineries hold clearly produces excellent results in spite of the climatic problems.

WS 97pts

Wine Spectator

#10 of Top 100: 2020. This goes from zero to 60 right out of the gate, with an intense spine of acidity driving tightly meshed flavors of crushed black currant, ground coffee, candied grapefruit peel and toasted almond. The profile expands on the palate, carried by the fine, raw silk–like mousse. Richly aromatic and expressive from start to lasting, spiced finish. Disgorged July 2019. Drink now through 2037. 850 cases imported. (Highly Recommended)

WE 96pts

Wine Enthusiast

#76 TOP 100 CELLAR SELECTIONS 2020. Still young for a wine of this caliber, this rich Champagne has an immense future ahead of it. The freshness of the wine will mature into the rich toastiness that is such a hallmark of this brand. Oak fermentation and aging have added to the great promise of this fine wine. Drink from 2022.

JD 96pts

Jeb Dunnuck

While the 2012 La Grande Annee doesn't match the magical 2008, it's not far off and has a similar purity and elegance. Beautiful notes of white flowers, white grapefruit, salty minerality, sliced apple, and hazelnut nuances all emerge on the nose, and this beauty hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, plenty of mid-palate concentration, bright yet integrated acidity, and a beautiful finish. This gains depth and richness with time in the glass but really needs 2-4 years of bottle age and should easily evolve for 20+ years in cold cellars.

WNS 96pts

Wine & Spirits

There’s an immediacy to its bubbles, and a scent that is immediately awesome—lemon blossom, lemon verbena and something exotic, like Buddha’s hand. The flavors are classical, expanding outward as the wine develops with air, potent, salty and long. Once it’s gone, you can smell the ghost of oak in the empty glass, even if it wasn’t overt in the wine. This is a structured and long-lived 2012.

WA 95pts

Wine Advocate

Disgorged in July 2019, Bollinger's 2012 Brut La Grande Année is showing well, offering up an incipiently complex bouquet of crisp yellow orchard fruit, fresh peach, orange oil, toasted walnuts and dried apricot that's still quite reserved with less than a year on cork. Full-bodied, deep and muscular, the 2012 is blockier and broader-shouldered than its 2008 predecessor, with a weightier and even more concentrated palate built around a bright spine of acidity, concluding with a chalky finish that carries appreciably dry extract. This isn't quite as elegant as the exquisite 2008, but it is a superb effort and obviously built to age.

JS 95pts

James Suckling

This makes a bold statement. Ripe, powerful and creamy with concentrated red-berry, nectarine, grapefruit and cashew aromas. I love the juiciness and brightness of this wine, which has such a long, graceful finish. Only 65% pinot noir, but it tastes like a lot more. 100% barrel fermentation and maturation. Drink or hold.

VM 94pts

Vinous Media

The 2012 Grande Année is vibrant and wonderfully nuanced. Citrus peel, orchard fruit, brioche, dried flowers and chamomile are all finely knit in a Grand Année built on energy and persistence more than size. Readers will find a restrained Grand Année in 2012. There is plenty of the textural richness that is such a signature of the house style, but I am also struck by the wine's freshness. Best of all, the 2012 will drink well right out of the gate. It is quite expressive today, even in the early going. (Originally published in August 2020)

BH 93pts

Burghound

A markedly restrained and decidedly cool yet strikingly elegant nose combines notes of spiced apple, pear, white flowers, citrus rind and a background suggestion of brioche. The wonderfully vibrant and intense flavors are supported by a notably fine effervescence that perhaps isn't quite as firm as one might think for such a young wine. This classy and ultra-refined effort should drink well earlier than usual though I underscore that it definitely is not at its peak. With that said, it could easily be enjoyed now for its youthful exuberance. Lovely.

DC 93pts

Decanter

Texture is key here, with a fruit basket of indulgence tempting the senses, the predominant Pinot Noir adding plums, cherry and hints of cedar to the creamy, toasty core that has been bequeathed by the barrel fermentation. Energetic, vital and brimming with potential, its 8g/l of sugar is lightly worn. This is a seductive Grande Année, hard to resist in its youth but far from lacking gravitas and matière to secure a happy development.

Winery Notes

The delicate color and golden hues are a sign of the wine’s maturity. The nose, whilst full and expressive, offers stunning apricot, almond and hazelnut aromas that are followed by notes of honey and cereals intertwining in a symphony of aromas. The wine is possesses exception texture and structure. It is both dense with a silky and long finish, yet fresh and full with a delicious refined palate. Outstanding aging potential for this absolutely stunning wine.