Bollinger PN AYC 18
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Tasting Notes
Bollinger PN AYC 18 is the latest limited-edition release in the Bollinger series celebrating the different terroirs of Pinot Noir in Champagne. The fourth release focuses on the Grand Cru village of Aÿ. Grapes from Aÿ make up 47% of the blend, a mix of 2018 and aged, reserve wines from 2009. The wine has a very bright, expressive, exuberant nose full of fresh red berry fruit and toasty notes. The palate is a mix of raspberry clafoutis and buttered croissant with hints of toffee apple. The mousse is elegant, fine and persistent, giving the wine lovely depth. The rich, opulent Bollinger style adds a layer of plushness to the palate. It is open-knit and full-bodied in structure, not austere in style at all. But there is a line of tension that keeps the wine together and the long finish is bright and fresh.
Critic Scores
Richard Juhlin
More reviews and scores
Finally, it was time for Aÿ to take center stage in Bollinger's new Pinot Noir series. It wasn't until the fourth edition that one got home to the house's most powerful stronghold and DNA. In comparison to the three previous editions, we are dealing with a tasting winner from the start. The oak notes and the home village's smoky features hit me like a wall of sauna, grilled meat, hazelnuts and tar. The color is deeper than in previous editions and the power stronger than in the first three PN. 47% of the wine comes from the home village in casks both from 2018 and in the reserve wine on magnums from 2009. In between these mighty parts we have steel tank-aged Tauxières, Avenay and Verzenay from the lighter and more mineral-influenced vintages of 2016 and 2017. This particular side takes the biggest place in the middle register and mid-palate of the wine. In aroma and aftertaste, Aÿ pushes forward with its broad muscular shoulders and leaves no one untouched. A bargain with peak 2030–2035!
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).