Champagne Bollinger

R.D. 2007

Champagne, France

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A small revolution in the world of Champagne. In 1967, Bollinger releases R.D. 1952.  There is no comparable Champagne on the market at the time. This bold and brilliant Champagne takes the pillars of what makes Champagne Bollinger so unique, and pushes them to their ultimate level. It is, very simply, a masterpiece.

R.D. stands for “recently disgorged.” The majority of Champagne Houses have always kept a collection of old wines in order to share with their family, close friends and special guests. The custom was that these old wines were especially disgorged only a very short time before being tasted, so that those invited could share a perfect moment when the wine, disgorged just recently, would offer an extraordinary contrast of freshness and complexity from age.

Bollinger is the producer most associated with a single grape variety in Champagne, namely Pinot Noir. This more demanding grape to grow makes up a minimum of 60% of all of Bollinger’s Champagne, and for R.D. is truly the backbone that allows the Champagne to age. The harmony of Pinot Noir’s richness and elegance becomes ever more complex with the time this Champagne sees before release.  Then there is the other association that Bollinger is so well known for: winemaking in barrel. As virtually every Champagne producer in the latter half of the 20th century moved to fermenting in large lots in stainless steel tanks, Bollinger persisted to oversee fermentation barrel by barrel for all vintage Champagnes. Another peculiarity of Bollinger’s vintage Champagnes is the aging under cork rather than crown capsule, to allow oxygen to continue to slowly work its magic on the development of the wine. Why do other producers not do this? Because every single bottle must subsequently be riddled by hand and then hand-disgorged. Lastly, this wine is is typically aged 10-15 years before release, with an aging potential that if not quite immortal, will outlast all of us. 

Lastly, we have to say it – it’s no wonder R.D. is the Champagne of choice for James Bond.

Vineyard

R.D. 2007 is sourced from a total of 14 crus, 91% of which are Grand Cru and 9% of which are Premier Cru.

Additionally, Bollinger was accredited with a “High Environmental Value” certification in 2012 (more here).

Winemaking

The 2007 is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. R.D. is vinified entirely in older oak barrels, specifically used 228 liter barrels and 400 liter casks that are up to 40 years old. The wine remains in barrel for 6 months, undergoing both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in barrel, a point of distinction from the minute remaining producers who do ferment in barrel. The wine is then bottled under cork to undergo its secondary fermentation, rather than crown capsule. As a result, every bottle has to be hand-riddled and hand-disgorged.

After 14 years on the lees, the wine is given a dosage of only 3 grams per liter, making it Extra Brut.

Vintage

With the 2007 vintage, the original material of the label is restored, as well as the font of the legendary 1952 vintage, the first of the Bollinger R.D. cuvées. The disgorgement date appears once again.

The 2007 vintage of the R.D. cuvée embodies the House’s dedication to hard work and Madame Bollinger’s vision. It underscores the belief in the authenticity of expertise. The contrast between freshness on the palate and the spicy aromatic intensity of Bollinger R.D. 2007 brings a new experience of the cuvée to lovers of fine wine.

Tasting Note

“To the eye, the wine presents intense shimmers of gold. The complex nose opens with aromas of honey and brioche, followed by a host of spices (ginger, cumin, caraway, and more), before evolving into notes of mirabelle plum, dried apricot and fresh hazelnut. The palate has a lively and clean opening that reveals notes of white plum, walnut and aniseed. Its freshness is beautiful and its tension incredible.”
– CELLAR MASTER GILLES DESCOTES

Food Pairing

Sometimes you come across a match that brings together complexity of flavors, textures and even stories in a memorable way to create the ultimate pairing.

The 14 years that Bollinger R.D. 2007 spent aging on the lees results in an extraordinary range of primary, secondary and tertiary characteristics that come in a frame of almost unimaginable tension of developed richness and freshness.

In their quest to find the best way to serve Bollinger R.D. at the estate, the food-obsessed team at Bollinger came to the conclusion that pairings based on saffron, offers extraordinary pleasure and an array of both complementary and supplementary flavors and textures to R.D. Langoustine with saffron-infused vinaigrette, fillet of halibut in a saffron crust or bresse chicken with a saffron and ginger sauce are exceptional suggestions.

Color

White

Grape Varieties

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Appellation

Champagne, France

Farming

Champagne Bollinger supports sustainable wine growing by grassing over the ground, using biological pest control, reducing the use of herbicides, recycling pruning waste, and planting hedges and orchards to encourage biodiversity. The Côte aux Enfants vineyard is managed organically.

Alcohol

12%

Reviews

"Complex, multi-faceted personality"

Vinous - March 4, 2021 "Bollinger’s 2007 R.D. is superb, but it is also a wine that reflects the nature of a unique and challenging growing season. In most vintages the R.D. is marked by the distinct creaminess and breadth of Aÿ Pinot Noir. 2007, though, was a difficult year marked by very dry weather, rain at the end of the growing season and an early harvest in August, something that was not as common as it has become. Selection was essential. For the 2007, the blend is composed of just 14 villages compared to the more typical 18-25. Verzenay is the main Pinot component while Cramant plays the leading role in the Chardonnays. For these reasons, the 2007 is an R.D. driven by more focus, energy and tension than readers are used to seeing. Lemon confit, dried flowers, sage, mint, crushed rocks, almond and ginger are some of the aromas and flavors that give the 2007 its complex, multi-faceted personality. The 2007 can be enjoyed now, but I would prefer to cellar it for a few years. It will age effortlessly for decades as it moves through the various phases of its life. I was reminded of the way Champagne can magically traverse time by magical bottles of the 1976 R.D. and 1996 Vieilles Vignes Françaises I tasted recently. The blend is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, 91% Grand Cru fruit and the rest Premier Cru. Bollinger fans will notice the return of the original label, with the disgorgement date clearly visible, a tribute to Madame Bollinger, who was a pioneer in so many ways. Disgorged: July 10, 2020. Dosage is 3 grams per liter."

"Delicate, fine-boned rendition"

Wine Advocate - March 4, 2021 “Disgorged on July 10, 2020, with three grams per liter dosage, Bollinger's eagerly awaited 2007 Extra-Brut R. D. is beautiful, unwinding in the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, citrus pith and white flowers mingled with hints of honey, orange oil, buttery pastry, English walnuts and delicately spicy bass notes. Full-bodied, vibrant and incisive, it's unusually elegant and structurally fine-boned for what is routinely one of Champagne's more muscular tête de cuvées, with a bright spine of acidity that's cloaked in vibrant, concentrated fruit, complemented by a pearly pinpoint mousse and concluding with an intensely sapid finish. Long and penetrating, this is a tightly coiled R. D. that will reward bottle age.”

"Sleek and Mouthwatering"

Wine Spectator - April 21, 2021 “Minerally on the nose, with accents of sea breeze and brine, transitions on the palate to a deep and finely-knit range of ripe nectarine and dried white cherry fruit, chopped almond and espresso crema, and hints of tangerine peel, saffron and ground cardamom. Fine and lacy in texture, this is sleek and mouthwatering through to the finish, where the salinity returns, echoing a lasting note.” - A.N.

"Sophistication, complexity and aging potential"

James Suckling - August 4, 2021 “This has such clarity and freshness with minerality to the bread-dough and praline aromas. Full-bodied, very tight and focused with a long, linear palate and a reserved finish. This is a wine that combines sophistication, complexity and aging potential. Late-disgorged magic." -J.S.

"Lime freshness and chalky minerality"

James Suckling - July 25, 2022 “What an amazing nose this has, like the smell of a rock pool on a rocky coast, but with so many candied-fruit, spicy and mushroom notes behind that. That fruit is way more expressive on the powerful and structured palate with lime freshness and chalky minerality at the super-long, bone-dry finish." -J.S. 12/21

More on Champagne Bollinger R.D. 2007

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Trade Materials

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