2014 Bollinger La Cote Aux Enfants

While one is unlikely—if not hard-pressed—to find complaints with the 2014 Blanc de Noirs La Côte aux Enfants when enjoyed on its own, it does appear somewhat less harmonious when set against the 2015 and 2013 vintages. Disgorged in February 2024 with a dosage of six grams per liter, it opens from the glass with aromas of ripe pear, beeswax and orange zest. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, vinous and incisive, with an elegantly fleshy core of fruit supported by bright acidity. Lacking both the maturity of vintages such as 2015 and 2012 and the purity of 2013, the 2014 currently seems slightly overshadowed. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if it gains cohesion and depth with further bottle age—in which case, my current score may ultimately prove conservative. As always, the fruit hails from the northwest-facing sector of a vineyard in Aÿ, this time achieving 10.7% potential alcohol prior to harvest.

From the estate’s historic single parcel of Pinot Noir, the 2014 Champagne La Côte Aux Enfants is very well detailed and takes things to the next level in this tasting. Readers may recall the 2014 La Grande Année Brut was our wine of the year in 2022, as it too was exemplary of finesse and elegance. The nose is floral and inviting, with layered depth of fresh baked croissants, strawberries, custard, orange blossoms, and fresh flowers. The palate offers a supple and full-bodied feel, with a silky texture, refined mousse, and a taught spine of acidity that creates a more linear drive for an all-around seamless finish. It is going to need some more time to drink over the coming 20 or more years. Released in June 2024. For a long time, Bollinger only allowed private visits, but they plan to open a visiting center in 2027 in the center of Ay and are also going to increase production from their current 4000 barrels to 5500. In addition, they’re going to start adding information to the label of their Special Cuvée.

Already after a few seconds of encountering the wine's wonderful bouquet, I could state that 2014 Bollinger La Côte aux Enfants is in many ways the very essence of "old style Bollinger". The color is very deep golden and I was blown away by how rich and mature the wine felt right away. Significantly fuller and more voluminous than both 2012 and 2013. The scent is actually as big this time as VVF and even more mature. All of this surprised me as 2014 is generally the lightest of the three. Here it was the opposite. The only thing that somehow makes me recognize the vintage is the neat and elegant note of grilled lemons I find more and more marked as the wine sounds majestically in the mouth. Perhaps this wine personifies the soul and heart of Bollinger better than any other wine. If you have been in Bollinger's cellar and in the beautiful hall where all the oak barrels are lined up, you will probably never forget the unique aroma you find there. With Bollinger's deliberately oxidative vinification, all wines from there will be strongly influenced by their external environment. When everything goes right, as it has here, this fragrance makes for a fabulously stylish personal spice. In the first place, of course, it is the micro-oxidation through the fibers of the oak barrel that leaves an impression, but also the notes of old oak with their grilled, lightly burnt and faintly smoked notes that attract autumn forest and Finnish sauna give great pleasure. From the concentrated Pinot Noir grapes, you get an extract-rich juiciness and a chewy red fruit of Gravensteiner apple, beetroot, apricot jam, strawberries and honey. From Aÿ's terroir comes an unmistakable aroma of hazelnut, honeysuckle, leather and tobacco. Can this masterpiece be stored? Sure, but does it make it better? Hardly, probably a slump will come in a few years and a new beautiful phase will only enter in ten years when new parts of the personality take shape. Different and just as good, but hardly better.