Vintage Champagne 2012

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This impressive vintage of Vieilles Vignes Françaises greets you with an utterly sophisticated nose of magnificent toasty layers. Toasted bread and grilled almonds meet smoky woody nuances. The nose is beautifully reductively charged and elegantly spicy with sumptuous, sweet orchard fruit and dried fruits in layers. A fine woody note from oak lines the voluminous and concentrated palate. Rich yes, but heavy no, the juicy freshness just goes on...

At the turn of the 20th century, the phylloxera epidemic swept across Champagne, devastating nearly every vine in the region. To save the vineyards, growers were forced to replant using American rootstocks, which offered natural immunity to the destructive root-feeding pests.

However, two tiny, walled plots adjacent to Bollinger’s estate—Chaudes Terres and Clos St-Jacques—miraculously survived un-grafted. Together spanning a mere 0.36 hecta...