2004 Bollinger R.D.
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Tasting notes
Only the very best vintages are elevated to Bollinger R.D. status. This unique expression of the generous and ripe 2004 vintage is a blend of 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay from 16 Grand and Premier cru sites. It has been aged for more than 13 years in the heart of the Bollinger cellars in Aÿ - more than four times longer than required by the appellation. This exceptional cuvée goes by the acronym of R.D. for "Récemment Dégorgé" (Recently Disgorged) - meaning that disgorgement has taken place less than one year before its release date. The wine offers freshness and extraordinary intensity due to its recent disgorgement, as well as the remarkable aromas of an old vintage which has been cellar-aged, nourished by contact with the lees.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
Richard Juhlin
More reviews and scores
When Bollinger decides to launch the newest vintage of R.D., the wine must have its distinctive autolytic character of freshly baked bread, chocolate, hazelnut and mushroom. With 2004... it's precisely like this Bollinger R.D. should taste from the beginning. Nobody can be disappointed here... The very essence of the R.D. concept is to try to capture a wine's optimal maturity along with maximum freshness.
Fermented in oak barrels and aged under natural corks for almost 13 years, Bollinger's 2004 R. D. Extra Brut blends 66% Pinot Noir with 34% Chardonnay from 16 crus, 88% of which are classified as Grand Cru. The wine opens with a very clear, deep, rich and aromatic but also pure and mineral-fresh nose of crushed rocks, cherries, brioche, pain aux raisin, white nougat, chalk and ripe, yellow-fleshed fruits. Highly elegant and complex on the weightless yet persistent and salty palate, this is an intense, densely woven, firmly structured yet elegant, beautifully refined and refreshing "recent disgorgement" (February 2018) that reveals just a kiss of oxidative flavors that adds even more complexity. A great Champagne on its way to improve over many years in the bottle. Tasted June 2018. Jun 2018, www.robertparker.com
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).