Exploring the Pinot Noir crus of Champagne
PN AYC18: Champagne in cipher. It is the latest iteration in Champagne Bollinger's series of releases decoding the Pinot Noir crus of Champagne. The key is in the name. PN, of course, is Pinot Noir. AY is Aÿ, the grand cru village where most of the grapes came from. 18 is 2018, the base year for the cuvée. Taken together, it is a glorious success.
Bollinger like to say that Pinot Noir is the pillar of their style, and everything in their range is at least 60% Pinot Noir. They have made a big success of their series of Blanc de Noirs releases exploring the Pinot Noir crus of Champagne. Previous releases have focussed on Verzenay and Tauxières, but this time the spotlight is on their estate vineyards in Aÿ. The south-facing, low-lying slopes here are considered to be the source of Champagne's most powerful, structured Pinot Noir.
PN AYC18 opens out on ripe notes of peach and apricot; the generosity of the base 2018 vintage is immediately apparent. Chef de Cave Dennis Bunner regards 2018 as on a par with 2008; the warm, sunny days were balanced by very cool nights, which means there is a structural tension offsetting the ripe fruit. The base 2018 is balanced by 50% reserve wines, which bring greater aromatic complexity. There is a candlewaxy depth to the mid-palate, and it finishes on notes of marzipan and caramel. Those final notes go back to the foudre, as 50% of the base wines were fermented in oak - another Bollinger signature. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold; available Autumn 2023
