1989 Bollinger Grande Annee

An early year with a dry, sunny summer and relatively high maturity for that time (12.2% natural sugar and acid lower than is typical). 61% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay from 18 villages, 69% grands crus, 31% premiers crus. Disgorged 2016. Dosage 6 g/l. From bottle. Mid to deep gold. Very mushroomy (the compound responsible is apparently octanone) though it still has freshness on the finish. There was a good deal of bottle variation around the table and the second glass was less extreme in that mushroom character and a bit tighter. Overall not as intense as the 1992 although it does have breadth and fullness on the palate, including brioche as well as mushroom, and seems to become a little more herbal with air. The first bottle was really a curiosity and past it but the second was convincingly mature but still with some freshness and life, proving, notes chef de cave Gills Descôtes, that high acidity is not always essential for good ageing potential. (JH)