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  • Country ranking ?

    349
  • Producer ranking ?

    8
  • Decanting time

    No
  • When to drink

    Now
  • Food Pairing

    Seafood, Salads & Consommes

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The Story

Destroyed at the dawn of the 20th century by the infamous phylloxera vastatrix, all the Champagne region’s vines had to be replanted with American rootstocks that were resistant to the destructive insect.

All of them? Not quite... In Aÿ, two Bollinger plots classified Grand cru, the “Chaudes Terres” and “Clos St Jacques”, were miraculously spared by the phylloxera. From these vines cultivated using traditional methods, planted “en foule” (w...

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Wine Information

1969 Vieilles Vignes Francaises Champagne Bollinger

I have tasted this “living museum” champagne only once, when we had a vertical tasting of Vieilles Vignes Francaises. From those eight vintages – 1969, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1985 and 1988 – this 1969 was everything but “oldest museum wine” with exceptional freshness and charming sparkle, and it came in second position right after the great 1985. My mystified notes were then:
This...

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Tasting note

color

Full

ending

Endless, Flavorful and Lingering

nose

Intense and Complex

recommend

Yes

taste

High in Acidity, Low alcohol content, Well-structured, Complex, Elegant, Rich and Ripe

Verdict

Outstanding and Masterpiece

Written Notes

I just needed to dip my nose for a second before I realized what wine it was. Here you are met by a blast of smells with an equally unmistakable as indescribable crystal clear identity. The volume is huge, but the wine is extremely fresh and acidic thanks to vintage. The aromatic spectrum is ranging from jasmine, passion fruit, sea buckthorn, licorice toffee, black olives, tar and charcoal grilled meat. A perfect bottle from the debut year.

A fantastic vintage and one of the greatest Champagnes I have ever tasted. I managed to get a bottle from the last remaining case the producer had. This is also unique for being the first vintage of Vieilles Vignes Françaises. A very dark golden-reddish color, perfect mousse, and a magnificent bouquet. There are none of the 73s vegetable tones, but instead this 69 is dominated by sweet licorice, dark chocolate, tobacco, apricot, and peach. The texture is oily and fat, but the acidity is impressive under the benign surface.

  • 99p
Ray observed ‘tropical botrytis,’ which Neil seconded. Its flavors also had the orange marmalade thing happening, along with game and what I wrote down as ‘white beef.’ Let’s just leave it at that! This 1969 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises was exotic and flirting with demi-sec. It is a bottle that I have never seen before, and may never see again – wait, Bruce has two more, phew (94).
  • 94p

The flowering went through an unstable period with alternations of heat and cold which caused coulure and millerandage in a number of places. Violent storms were frequent throughout the summer and were occasionally accompanied by hail, which completely destroyed 900 ha in the region. Destructive downy mildew (the worst since 1958) attacked the leaves and bunches. Appearance of black rot and grey rot. 100% Pinot Noir from Aÿ (mostly) and Bouzy. Disgorged December 2012, dosage 4 g/l.
Tasted blind. NB The drink dates may look odd here but that's because the wine was not disgorged until 2012. Deep gold with very fine mousse curling up in the middle. Stunning and intense honey and mushrooms on the nose with a spicy texture. Just a light toastiness. Rich, deep and glorious, touch of smoky bacon but the honey dominates, honey on toast though the acidity kicks in and lifts the finish to amazing vitality. Goes on and on. (JH)

  • 96p
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Information

Origin

Ay, Champagne

Other wines from this producer

B13 Blanc de Noirs

Bollinger Collection

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PN TX 17

PN VZ15

PNVZ16

R.D. Bollinger

RD Collection

Rosé

Special Cuvée

Verzenay Réserve

Vieilles Vignes Francaises Collection

Vins Clairs Cramant Vinifié en Fût

Vintage Champagne

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