2002 Bollinger R.D.
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Tasting notes
Disgorged 17 May 2017. Dosage 4 g/l. Tasted blind. The first pair with identical colours: toasty deep straw. Zesty, citrus-peel aromas. Lots of acidity and zip. Already a pleasure to drink but by no means at peak. Very clean and brisk. Just a hint of prunes! (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
I've encountered some bottle variation with Bollinger's 2002 Extra-Brut R. D., but this example, disgorged in 2016, was showing especially well, offering up a deep bouquet of dried fruits, orange zest, mocha, spices, English walnuts and hazelnuts. Full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with a pillowy, seamless profile and a fleshy core, it concludes with a long, sapid finish. With two grams per liter less acidity than the more incisive 2008 (which has not yet been released as R. D.), the 2002 is a giving, expansive wine that is drinking well today.
Tasted blind. Tense, dense nose. Savoury. Lemony with marked acidity and lots to chew on. Bone-dry finish, rather a demanding nature. Intellectual wine. Quite long. One of the more evolved. A little like white burgundy plus carbon dioxide. Long. Krug or Bolly? (JR)
Disgorged 17 May 2017. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay (usually more like 30%). Incredibly intense aromas – baked apple, cinnamon, freshly baked bread. Conventional and recognisably champagne, but to a greater, more intense degree. Some creamy coffee on the palate and wonderfully savoury salinity on the finish. Very, very long persistence. Champagne to the power of ten. (RH)
About the producer
Bollinger is one of the most renowned and coveted Champagne Houses in the world, famous for its Pinot-Noir-dominant wines, in particular La Grande Année and the rare Vieilles Vignes Françaises (from pre-phylloxera vines).