91+ The new release of Bollinger’s “Cuvée Spéciale” non-vintage Brut is crafted from its customary cépages of sixty percent pinot noir, twenty-five percent chardonnay and fifteen percent pinot meunier, with thirty percent...
91+ The new release of Bollinger’s “Cuvée Spéciale” non-vintage Brut is crafted from its customary cépages of sixty percent pinot noir, twenty-five percent chardonnay and fifteen percent pinot meunier, with thirty percent of the vins clairs fermented in casks for this bottling. As is typical for this bottling, it was aged thirty to thirty-six months sur lattes and the final blend includes fifty percent reserve wines. It offers up a refined bouquet of apple, peach, fresh-baked bread, chalky soil tones, gentle smokiness and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, good mineral undertow, elegant mousse and a long, crisp and beautifully balanced finish. Fine juice that will age gracefully and be an even more interesting drink five to ten years down the road.