2008 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises

Disgorged in September 2020 with four grams per liter dosage, Bollinger's 2008 Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes Françaises is one of the monumental wines of this great vintage. Soaring from the glass with a generous, honeyed bouquet of pear, orange rind, dried fruits, mocha and toasted bread, it's full-bodied, textural and enveloping, with huge concentration, racy acids and a pillowy mousse. Vinous, rich and sumptuous, it concludes with an immensely long, resonant finish. Bollinger waited until the grapes of these ungrafted vines attained 11% potential alcohol before harvesting, and they have produced the most powerful wine of the vintage—as well as one of the most profound.

The 2008 Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes Françaises is a total thrill to taste. Bright and finely sculpted, the VVF expresses all of the natural tension of the year in grand style. One moment it is the aromatics that are most captivating, then in another moment it is the wine's total balance that makes the strongest impression. Constantly changing in the glass, the 2008 VVF is one of those rare Champagnes than can hold the taster's attention for hours, or at least until the bottling is finished. Bollinger's tiny production Blanc de Noirs from ungrafted vines in two tiny plots totaling 0.36 hectares is truly mesmerizing in 2008. I can't wait to taste it next to some of the other iconic vintages. Harvest took place on September 18 and the wine was vinified entirely in new oak. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. (Originally published in May 2021)