2004 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises

This rare blanc de noirs from Bollinger’s oldest plots of ungrafted vines in Aÿ is always one of Champagne’s most impactful wines. 2004’s gentler side, however, plays beautifully in that frame, bestowing a sense of polished, cushioned calm behind the characteristically intense, mature fruit; nut honey and dried apricots, butter pastry and bay, all sitting under some pine and forest floor maturity with an energising kick of cooked lime through the close. It’s a wine of huge presence and vinosity, sumptuous in build yet stony and serious rather than sweet toned in older age. It seems likely to carry on ageing in the near future with few changes of direction.

We start with a side-by-side comparison of Bollinger's 2002 and 2004 Vieilles Vignes Françaises, one of my favorite Champagnes. The 2002 is spectacular, as it always is. Rich, warm and resonant, the 2002 covers the palate with seemingly endless layers of burnished, honeyed fruit and the most finessed, subtle mousse imaginable. I don't see the 2002 making old bones, but it is flat-out great tonight. The 2004, on the other hand, is disappointing. More advanced in its flavors and with quite a bit less structure than the 2002, the 2004 is already maturing and needs to be enjoyed sooner rather than later.