Champagne Bollinger
R.D.
Champagne
R.D. stands for “recently disgorged,” and it represents one of the most important and original ideas in the history of Champagne. When Bollinger released the first R.D. in 1967, there was nothing like it on the market. The concept was Madame Bollinger’s grand vision: take an old vintage, disgorgeit by hand, apply the lowest possible dosage, and release it while the wine still carries the electric freshness of recent disgorgement. Bold, brilliant, and unlike anything being produced at a time when old Champagnes were not in fashion.
What makes R.D. so singular begins in the vineyard. Bollinger is the house most associated with Pinot Noir in Champagne, with the variety comprising a minimum of 60% of all their wines. It is Pinot Noir’s richness and structure that gives R.D. the backbone to age. In the cellar, every vintage Champagne at Bollinger is fermented barrel by barrel in older oak, a practice abandoned by virtually every other major house in the latter half of the 20th century. The wine is then bottled under cork rather than crown capsule, allowing slow oxygen development during its long aging on the lees. Because of this, every single bottle must be riddled and disgorged by hand. The result is a Champagne of extraordinary contrast: the freshness of a recently disgorged wine meeting the complexity of over a decade of development. It is, very simply, a masterpiece.
For the first time with the 2008 vintage, R.D. is released in Bollinger’s signature bottle shape, used throughout the range for all wines since the 2008 vintage. Like the R.D. 2007, the 2008 vintage continues to feature the same material and design as the original 1952 front label, with the disgorgement date displayed prominently on the front label, a nod to the fact this inaugural R.D. was the first Champagne released to specify a disgorgement.
VINEYARD
Sourced from 18 crus, mostly Aÿ and Verzenay for Pinot Noir and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant for Chardonnay.
WINEMAKING
R.D. is vinified entirely in older oak barrels, specifically used 228 liter barrels and 400 liter casks that are up to 40 years old. The wine remains in barrel for 6 months, undergoing both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in barrel, a point of distinction from the minute remaining producers who do ferment in barrel. The wine is then bottled under cork to undergo its secondary fermentation, rather than crown capsule. As a result, every bottle has to be hand-riddled and hand-disgorged. After 14 years on the lees, the wine is given a dosage of only 3 g/L.
VINTAGE
2008 was a year of unsettled weather: although cool spring temperatures lasted well into summer, the sun returned in time for harvest. Despite the changeable conditions, Maison Bollinger’s knowledge and expertise meant that they were able to keep their grapes in excellent condition, making 2008 an exceptional year marked by a bountiful yield of Pinot Noir.
TASTING NOTE
Abundant stewed and candied fruits with sweet spice on the nose, with notes of mirabelle and preserved orange unfolding with air. Rich and generous on the palate, with cooked fruit and tarte tatin flavors in a full, harmonious mouthfeel.
FOOD PAIRING
Aged Comte, mushroom or truffle risotto, roasted scallops, pigeon, game dishes
Color
White
Blend %
71% Pinot Noir, 29% Chardonnay
Appellation
Champagne
Alcohol
12.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$1100
Reviews
James Suckling - March 2, 2023
Wine Advocate - March 9, 2023
Wine Spectator - December 15, 2023
Vinous - November 1, 2023
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Rosé
Champagne
Bollinger Rosé is a Champagne that quietly breaks the mold. First released in 2008 and made in limited quantities, it begins as Special Cuvée before a small addition of still Pinot Noir brings vibrant red fruit, a touch of tannin and striking depth. Pinot Noir is the heart of Bollinger, making up at least 60% of all wines and shaping the Rosé’s bold yet elegant character. With one-third fermented in oak, aged for up to eight years and blended with reserve wines from magnums, this Rosé offers freshness, complexity and a silk-like texture.
La Côte aux Enfants Champagne
Champagne, France
Established by Jacques Bollinger between 1926 and 1934, La Côte aux Enfants is a steep hillside vineyard located on the outskirts of Aÿ. This unique parcel has been a source of endless fascination, producing some of the most highly prized Pinot Noir in the region. Aware of its potential, it became Champagne Bollinger’s ambition to produce a great vintage Champagne exclusively from this vineyard, with 100% Pinot Noir. The fruit comes from the north-west side of the hill, revealing a particularly refined expression of La Côte aux Enfants vineyard.
"B" Series
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The "B" series is a unique and original creation shaped by nature’s challenges, an illustration of the Maison’s expert know-how when crafting a great vintage Champagne. Born from an atypical year of contrasting weather conditions, these wines are a unique journey of the senses, ethereal and suffused with finesse.
PN
Champagne, France
PN, made entirely from Pinot Noir to underscore the very essence and DNA of the House style, is the first new cuvée added to Bollinger’s permanent range since rosé in 2008. Each release of PN, developed as a series to bring Bollinger’s unique vision of Pinot Noir to light, will showcase a different cru from the base year that highlights its distinctive terroir and taste.
James Bond Limited Edition
Champagne, France
This limited edition cuvée celebrates 2 important milestones. Firstly, it celebrates the historic partnership between Bollinger and Bond. Bollinger has been the exclusive Champagne partner of Bond since 1979, so 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of their relationship. Secondly, it celebrates the release of the upcoming movie, No Time to Die, which will be the 25th movie in the series (and Bollinger’s 15th Bond movie since the start of the partnership).
Vieilles Vignes Françaises
Champagne, France
Vieilles Vignes Françaises is one of Champagne’s most mythical cuvees, produced from miraculously preserved and ungrafted 100% Pinot Noir vines. Phylloxera destroyed the vines of Champagne in the early 20th century, but amazingly enough two of Bollinger’s classified Grands crus plots, Chaudes Terres and Clos St. Jacques, survived and are still grown the traditional way. Madame Lily Bollinger first had this wine produced in 1969 as an anniversary cuvee to commemorate her 70th birthday. Following the wine’s launch in 1974, Vieilles Vignes Françaises promptly became a collectible and a symbol of a bygone era. Over the decades, its uniqueness and scarcity have made it one of the most sought-after and expensive Champagnes.
La Côte aux Enfants
Champagne, France
A stunning and extremely rare, still red wine produced only for the greatest vintages. This wine harmoniously combines 100% Pinot Noir Grand Cru fruit from an exceptional vineyard with traditional Burgundian style winemaking. Historically, Pinot Noirs from Aÿ were the most popular wines of the French court, specifically a favorite of King Henri IV, and La Côte aux Enfants comes from a steep plot just outside of the village. This wine is the purest expression of Pinot Noir, offering a fine, delicate texture in the mouth, and a tautness giving it a beautifully long finish.
La Grande Année Rosé
Champagne, France
Lily Bollinger agreed to a Bollinger rosé under one condition, it had to be extraordinary, and that is how La Grande Année Rosé was born. A blend like no other, the wine is as an extension to the House's prestige cuvée, La Grande Année, as is the subtle marriage between this great vintage Champagne and the addition of red wine from a unique plot, the legendary Côte aux Enfants.
Special Cuvée
Champagne, France
From vineyard to bottling, Special Cuvée sees such an extraordinary level of care and attention, it is difficult to place within the non-vintage or, really, any Champagne category. It is a Champagne that stands apart. Within one bottle, all the complexity of flavor, texture and pleasure that Champagne can offer. Special Cuvée is truly a journey of devotion from Bollinger.
