Bollinger Champagne Blanc de Noir Vieilles Vignes Francaises 2016 750ml

Description

The recently released 2016 Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes Françaises—harvested on September 18th at a relatively modest 10.2% potential alcohol—has turned out beautifully. It unites the richness of Pinot Noir and the concentration of old vines with the freshness imparted by the growing season and recent disgorgement. This balance serves to temper some of the exuberance that VVF can display in warmer vintages. Disgorged in February 2025 with a dosage of four grams per liter, the wine unfurls from the glass with a deep bouquet of orange zest, crisp pear and peach, mingling with notes of freshly baked bread, nuts and spices. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, expansive and multidimensional, with tangy acidity and a pillowy mousse. Generous and intense yet impeccably harmonious, it culminates in a long, resonant finish. Those fortunate enough to secure one or two of the mere 1,000 bottles produced will likely face a dilemma: when to open it. Promising a superb drinking experience, it is likely to show at its full generosity between 17 and 25 years after the vintage.

As is customary these days, Vieilles Vignes Françaises is sourced from two walled parcels of ungrafted Pinot Noir vines—Clos Saint-Jacques and Clos Chaudes-Terres—located adjacent to the Bollinger estate. These vineyards were replanted in the 1970s using massal selections from Aÿ and should not be mistaken for survivors of the pre-phylloxera era. While the soils here are not sandy—an attribute that enabled vine survival in certain other Champagne sites—it is most likely the enclosing walls that have thus far shielded these vines from phylloxera infestation.

• Country: France
• Region: Champagne
• Size: 750ml
• Alcohol by Vol: 12.5%

Varietal

Champagne Blend

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn’t unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as ‘blanc de blanc’, meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or ‘blanc de noir’, which is made solely with Pinot Noir.