Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises 2012

Disgorged in March 2023 with six grams per liter dosage, Bollinger's 2012 Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes Françaises is a powerful, multidimensional Champagne that pushes the house's vinous, Pinot Noir-driven style to the furthest. Offering up rich aromas of orange rind, mandarin oil, grilled peaches, dried fruits and pear mingled with notions of nutmeg, beeswax, smoke and buttered toast, it's full-bodied, broad and layered, with a deep, enveloping core endowed with extraordinary texture and concentration, its broad attack and mid-palate segueing into a long, resonant finish. If the 2013 vintage tended to tame some of the Vieilles Vignes Françaises's exuberance, the 2012 vintage leaves this cuvée untrammeled. One of Champagne's reference points, Bollinger's serious approach to farming, Pinot Noir-dominated style, commitment to barrel fermentation and maturation and superb palette of prime terroirs mark it out as one of the leading Grandes Marques today. On my most recent visit, chef des caves Denis Bunner and I tasted through three Blanc de Noirs bottling, from the Aÿ-based 2018 PN AYC, to the second release of a Champagne from La Côte Aux Enfants, to the house's emblematic Vieilles Vignes Françaises.

Score: 98

William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2023-2035 14 December 2023