Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very deep and youthful nose with a cornucopia of candied citrus and red berries, as well as a touch of herb. Stunning depth of chalky character and fantastic mineral freshness make this really stand out. Dramatic, yet so elegant at the very long finish. 100% pinot noir, of which 50% is from Verzenay and that gives it it’s name. The reserve wines are all Verzenays from 2006, 2009 and 2015. Disgorged January 2021. Drink or hold.
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Decanter
Produced exclusively from vineyards owned by Bollinger, this takes advantage of the dynamic equilibrium between the structured, robust Pinot Noir grape and a terroir that is late-ripening. Picking began on 25 September and delivered a wine with plenty of concentration and impressive freshness and balance, with expressive green apple fruit accented with notes of toast and smoke and a creamy, supple, and open texture. Dosed at 6 g/l. Disgorged in November 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Disgorged in January 2021, Bollinger's newly released NV Brut Blanc de Noirs PN VZ16 offers up notions of pear, apple blossom, jasmine, orange zest and fresh pastry. Medium to full-bodied, precise and elegantly vinous, it's layered and charming, with racy acids and a pretty pinpoint mousse, and it concludes with a sapid finish. It's based on the 2016 vintage, complemented by older reserve wines matured in magnum, and derives, once again, largely from the village of Verzenay.
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Wine & Spirits
Based on fruit from Verzenay in the 2016 harvest, this is all pinot noir, including the reserve wines. It’s as muscular as Bollinger’s classic vintage wines but with a rich berry-fruit component to fill it with ripeness. Freshness shows in the ghost of red-wine tannins, a flavor of red apple skins that lasts with focus and precision.
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Wine Spectator
Seamlessly knit and graceful, offering a lovely range of ripe cherry and nectarine fruit, with notes of slivered almond, orange blossom and fleur de sel slowly expanding on the palate via the finely detailed mousse and carried through the long, lacy finish by fine chinalike acidity. Pinot Noir. Drink now
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Jeb Dunnuck
The NV Champagne Blanc de Noirs PN VZ16 Brut is entirely Pinot Noir, predominantly from the village of Verzenay. It is based on the warm 2016 vintage but does includes several vintages of reserve wine. The nose is smoky, with rich Pinot Noir character and wonderful savory appeal. It is broad, dry, and balanced throughout, it offers ripe, concentrated notes of saline broth, plum, and toasted almond. Best after 2022.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’