Bollinger La Cote Aux Enfants

One of the greatest hits from this vineyard, Bollinger’s 2013 Blanc de Noirs La Côte aux Enfants has evolved beautifully, embodying everything that made the long, slow-ripening season so compelling. Harvested on October 5 from the vineyard’s cool, northwest-facing slope, the fruit attained 10.4% potential alcohol. Disgorged in March 2022 with a dosage of four grams per liter, it unfurls from the glass with a deep bouquet of pear, wildflower honey and white peach, mingling with spice and bread dough. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, tensile and racy, with a pure, chalky core that marries Bollinger’s characteristic Pinot Noir power with incisive acidity and underlying tension. Chiseled and mineral, it presents a stylistic counterpoint to the flavorful 2015—another highlight of this vertical—and, like its younger sibling, is well worth seeking out.

All Pinot Noir from a special plot in the middle of a slope with very little topsoil over 100 m of chalk. Fruit from the south-facing part has long been used for still wine and fruit from here was a regular ingredient in the house's non-vintage blend but in 2012 they started to make this single-vineyard champagne, too, as part of their drive to make more terroir-driven champagne. It was aged for seven years on lees. Very vibrant, lifted and fresh but quite evolved nose though the palate is still extremely tight, as so often for 2013s. There's a light flavour of macaroons but for the moment, while the finish is bone dry in Bollinger style, it's not that persistent. I'd love to taste this again in a year or two. The acidity dominates for now. (JR)

The second-ever release for this cuvée, and coming from the monopole of four hectares, with half growing on the northern slope, the 2013 Champagne Blanc de Noirs La Cote Aux Enfants Brut pours a bright straw hue and is all about elegance, although it retains a pure core of fruit, with notes of raspberry, and has a fine mineral texture. This very well might prove to have even more potential, but it needs time to reveal itself. It certainly has the structure to be a significantly age-worthy wine over the coming decades. Drink 2025-2045. Dosage was 4 grams per liter. Disgorgement March 2022. Located in Aÿ, Bollinger was founded in 1829. This year, former cellarmaster Gilles Descôtes passed away after having stepped down from his position in 2022. Denis Bunner, who had worked as Descôtes’ assistant cellarmaster for the past ten years, has taken over the role of his longtime colleague. To mark the 200th anniversary of the house, they have several projects in the works scheduled for completion in 2029, not only to commemorate the occasion but to carry the house into their next chapter. Construction is underway to renovate the Maison Deuil, the long-time private residence on the property, into a 20-room hotel along with a restaurant, which is sure to significantly impact the tiny village. In September of 2023 they attained B Corp Certification, which focuses on social and environmental standards. A signature of the house is that they have their own cooperage on site to build and maintain their barrels. Gael Chaunut took over the position from Denis Saint Arroman as head cooper for the house in December of 2020. All the wood is sourced from their property in the forest of Cuis. As négociants, they purchase 60% their grapes and own 179 hectares of planted vineyards. Sixty percent of their production is dedicated to Pinot Noir, with 25% to Chardonnay and the remainder to Meunier. This year is the second-ever release for the La Côte Aux Enfants, which is the second single-parcel bottling from the house and completes the collection of Pinot Noir Champagnes alongside the PN Series and Vieilles Vignes Françaises. Stylistically, the Vieille Vignes Françaises remains the richest and most powerful wine in the range, with an emphasis on the concentration of its fruit from the ungrafted vines of Clos Saint Jacques.