Bollinger La Cote aux Enfants Vintage 2013 (100% Pinot Noir) 75 cl. in wooden box

Champagne Bollinger owns an impressive 178 hectares of vineyards, 85% of which are located in Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages. Their land is spread across seven main villages: Aÿ, Avenay, Louvois, Tauxières and Verzenay planted with Pinot Noir; Cuis with Chardonnay; and Champvoisy with Meunier. Bollinger is one of the few wine houses that produces the majority of their own grapes for their blends. Pinot Noir represents 60% of the house’s vineyards and defines the house’s style: complex and powerful with a remarkable structure. In 2012, Champagne Bollinger was certified with High Environmental Value (HEV), a certification that rewards a series of environmental procedures implemented at the house.

La Cote aux Enfants is a 4-hectare steep-sided vineyard established by Jacques Bollinger between 1926 and 1934, where he acquired over 50 plots from many owners and planted exclusively with Pinot Noir. This historic piece of land has two defining features: the southern slope, which is vinified as a still red wine, and the northwestern slope, which was previously the hidden side of the vineyard, used exclusively for blending the blend in La Grande Année Rosé. Since 2012, the northwest-facing slope has provided the grapes for the new champagne Bollinger La Cote aux Enfants Champagne.

Weather: 2013 was marked by a particularly late growing season. The interminable winter was followed by a very cool, late spring. We had to wait until early July for the flowering to begin – something we hadn’t seen in Champagne for a while! Fortunately, the summer was glorious with plenty of sunshine, record temperatures and very low rainfall, ideal for the maturation of the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay. Temperatures were cool until the October harvest, and the resulting wines are elegant and fresh – the sign of a “classic” vintage.

Technical information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand Cru | Aÿ: La Cote aux Enfants
Grape varieties: 100% Pinot Noir
The lees are aged: 8 years
Discordance: March 2022
Dosage: 4 g/l
Fermentation: 100% small, old oak barrels.
Beverage: Now to 2036+

Tasting notes: Crisp, crunchy fruit is evident alongside strong mineral highlights. The deep, golden colour shows evolution. On the nose, notes of yellow apple, apricot tart and waxy notes are further complexed by a fine, toasted undertone. The oak notes hang elegantly at the back, leaving the fruit in the foreground. The year's touch stands out strongly on the super salty palate with an indispensable, chalky note. Although this March 2022 disgorging with over a year in cork is already beautifully expressive due to its density and clean and bright fruit quality, it has fine ageing potential. - Tasted by Essi Avellan MW