Tasting Notes
Vinous 89
The 2005 Brut La Grande Année hasn’t changed much since I last tasted it about six months ago. If anything, the 2005 is a bit less interesting than it was when I first tasted it. Soft, forward and heading towards maturity, the 2005 is a Champagne to drink now and over the next few years. This is an especially hollow Grande Année lacking mid-palate depth and continuity. Disgorged: May 2015.
Anticipated maturity: 2015-2020
Robert Parker 93
Bollinger’s 2005 La Grande Année is a classical but comparatively precocious rendition of this cuvée that’s already drinking well, offering up aromas of honeyed yellow apples, dried white flowers, English walnuts, praline and tea leaves. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, broad and vinous, with a fine mousse, ripe acids and a dry, richly saline finish. It was disgorged with six grams per liter dosage after more than nine years sur lattes. While this isn’t a historic vintage for Bollinger—or for Champagne as a whole—it’s a persuasive Grande Année that exemplifies the house style.
Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028