Bollinger: A Survey of the 2009
Vins Claires

2009 &nbsp;&nbsp; Cuis
(Chardonnay, fermented in tank)

2009 &nbsp;&nbsp; Cramant
(Chardonnay, fermented in tank)

2009&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Cramant
(Chardonnay, fermented in barrel)

2009&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Venteuil
(Pinot Meunier, fermented in tank)

2009&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Aÿ
(Pinot Noir, fermented in tank)

2009&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Aÿ
(Pinot Noir, fermented in barrel)

2008&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Aÿ
(Pinot Noir reserve wine, fermented in tank)

2009&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Verzenay
(Pinot Noir, fermented in barrel)

2005&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Verzenay
(Pinot Noir reserve wine, fermented in barrel)

NV&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Special
Cuvée (2008/2009 blend)

2009 &nbsp;&nbsp; La
Cȏte aux Enfants (fermented in barrel)&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;(91-94)

2002 &nbsp;&nbsp; La
Cȏte aux Enfants&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 94

There is probably no
region where it is harder to get a handle on the most recent vintage than
Champagne. The window for tasting the still wines, known as vins claires, is quite narrow, and only
lasts from the end of the calendar year of the harvest until the following
spring, when the wines are bottled. Unlike other regions, there are no formal
events to show the young wines to the trade and press. Even visiting the region
is no guarantee of being able to get a good look at the wines. Schedule a trip
too early and the wines might still be undergoing malolactic fermentation, but
waiting too long might mean they are already in bottle! Of course, tasting vins claires really only matters to the
most passionate of Champagne lovers. The overwhelming majority of the component
wines will blended in NV bottlings, which means tasting the vins claires is really more of an
academic exercise. The young wines are also typically brilliant and piercing in
their acidity, making them difficult to assess even for the most seasoned palates.
One producer I visited recently wouldn’t even taste his own vins claires; he contended smelling them
was enough to discern the differences – he was right. Still, there is no
question that site, vintage and house style are all readily apparent even in
the young still wines that will one day become Champagne. 

For all those reasons,
I applaud Bollinger and Chef de Caves Matthieu Kauffman for taking the initiative
to bring the estate’s wines to the trade. This tasting was one of several
Bollinger organized in New York for sommeliers, buyers and press. All of the
wines were shipped over in magnum directly from Bollinger, the only estate I am
aware of that stores its reserve wines in bottle and under cork, a painstaking
approach that can only be described as a labor of love. This tasting provided a
great opportunity to compare samples of 2009 Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and, to a
lesser extent, Pinot Meunier, grown in various villages, some wines vinified in
oak and others in steel. The endless complexity and nuance in the wines was yet
another eloquent reminder of why Champagne remains the world’s greatest
undiscovered region. In keeping with my standard convention, I have not
provided scores for the vins claires,
as it seems a bit of a stretch to score component wines that still need to go
through most of the process that makes them Champagne, including a secondary
fermentation in bottle, extended aging on the lees and eventual disgorgement. I
do provide scores for Bollinger’s La Cȏte aux Enfants, the estate’s still red
Pinot.

Vintage 2009 yielded a
set of ripe, flashy wines. As mentioned below, the 2009s will make a great
complement to the decidedly steely, mineral-driven 2008s when paired in NV
wines. On their own, the 2009s appear to be somewhat hit and miss at this
stage. In warmer microclimates and south-facing sites the wines can be overly
blowsy, but in cooler areas the combination of the ripeness of the warm vintage
mixed with the coolness conferred by more sheltered sites produced wines of
striking balance. Of course the 2009 vintage Champagnes are still many years
away from being released so there is plenty of time to follow their evolution.

Bollinger’s 2009 Chardonnay from Cuis, a Premier Cru village, shows
excellent density and roundness, with subtle notes of earthiness that add
complexity. Not surprisingly, this tank-fermented Chardonnay is a big part for
the blend for the estate’s Special Cuvée.&nbsp;
Of the two samples from Cramant,
I like the wine fermented in steel best. It is an explosive Chardonnay graced
with citrus, pear and jasmine, not to mention host of other aromas and flavors.
The Cramant fermented in oak shows more textural richness and generosity on the
palate, but in this warm, open vintage it is almost too round. The Pinot Meunier from Venteuil is an attractive, caressing wine with excellent body and
length but not much more in terms of personality and character. It is easy to
see why Meunier is the workhorse for so many NV Champagnes. 

Two 2009 samples of Pinot Noir from the Grand Cru village of Aÿ provide wonderful contrast to each other. The first Pinot, which
was vinified in stainless steel, is positively rich, ripe and exuberant at
first, before turning quite a bit more linear on the mid-palate. This is a
fabulous, pure-bred Pinot of inimitable class. The second Pinot, which was vinified
in oak, comes across as a bit heavy and clumsy. Rich, smoky notes add further
nuance on the finish, but this remains a large-scaled Pinot that is probably
too intense on its own. &nbsp;

The 2008 Pinot, also from Aÿ stands in stark contrast to the
2009s tasted alongside it. This is a superb example, with gorgeous,
mineral-infused fruit and an exceptionally long, textured finish. The 2008
possesses higher acidity and lower potential alcohol than the two 2009s, which
comes through in the bracing, refreshing close. It is fabulous in every way.
The 2009 Pinot from Verzenay (fermented in oak) provides an
equally fascinating counterpoint to the 2009 Pinots from Aÿ. Here the northern
exposure of the vineyards confers a measure of cool minerality that the
south-facing vineyards of Aÿ simply can’t in a hot vintage. This is a
marvelous, complete wine packed with vibrant fruit, not to mention tons of
class. The 2005 Pinot Noir, also
from Verzenay, is a fascinating
wine. It has the highest alcohol and lowest acidity of any of the wines tasted
from magnum. Rich and voluptuous through to the close, the wine caresses the
palate with layers of soft fruit and velvet-like finish. 

Bollinger’s Special Cuvée based on the 2008 and 2009 vintages was bottled in April 2010, but it won’t go on sale
until early 2013 or early 2014. It is already an immensely promising wine. The
cool, steely minerality of 2008 finds a gorgeous counterpoint in the warm, open
fruit of 2009 as this fabulous Champagne opens up in the glass. The blend is
60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier, roughly 40-45% each 2008
and 2009, plus reserve wines. 

The 2009 La Cȏte aux Enfants, Bollinger’s
Coteaux Champenois, is stunningly beautiful in this vintage. Layers of warm,
radiant fruit emerge gracefully from this elegant, sublime Pinot. The wine’s
balance and its potential are both first rate. A bottle of the 2002 La Cȏte aux Enfants, tasted
alongside the 2009, confirms the wine’s ability to develop beautifully in
bottle. Still young, the 2002 offers up an attractive mélange of red berries,
flowers, spices and licorice, all framed by clean mineral notes. Some of the
baby fat has begun to melt away, leaving a delicate, subtle wine of notable
finesse. 

--&nbsp;&nbsp;Antonio
Galloni

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