2007 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année Rosé

28% chardonnay, 72% pinot; a blend of 14 crus; chardonnay mainly from Avize, Cramant and Oger; pinot mainly from Aÿ and Verzenay; 5% still red wine from La Côte aux Enfants; 92% grand cru, 8% premier cru; entirely fermented and matured in oak barrels; aged under natural cork 8.5 years on lees; 7g/L dosage The 2007 vintage was a challenging one in which to produce great red wine in Champagne, and this result is testimony both to the standards of La Côte aux Enfants and the expertise of the house in crafting red wine for rosé. LGA Rosé is LGA with a tiny inclusion of red wine from the same vintage. The effect is profound, beckoning from its radiant, medium copper-salmon gown with exuberant, flamboyant and extroverted appeal. Its purity of red cherry fruits and violet fragrance has begun to dim as its secondary universe steps to the fore in great complexity of golden fruit cake, fruit mince spice, butter, even hints of toasted coconut and vanilla custard. The fine tannin grip of its youth has faded into a silky smooth, creamy structure, laced with fine chalk minerality, lingering long and seamless with refined, understated red cherry purity.

House based in Aÿ. 72% Pinot Noir, 28% Chardonnay. Vinified in old oak. 5% red wine addition from the Côte aux Enfants. The 2007 has fully settled now, the bristling energy of the vintage subsumed to some degree in some dark honey and orange cream. The details are still bright, though, with some mango and strawberry fruit still succulent and true, a narrowing acidic energy tugging at the palate. Deeply characterful and developed rosé that does not require further ageing.

Honey and roses with fresh almonds and an array of dried berries, amid deep, rich, toasted-nut, autolysis character. The palate has a bold array of rich, concentrated berry flavors in a fresh core, surrounded by a warming wrap of grilled hazelnuts. Roasted coffee to close. Terrific complexity. Drink now.

Containing some 6% red wine from Bollinger's La Côte aux Enfants vineyard, the 2007 La Grande Année Rosé offers up a complex bouquet of dried orange peel, walnuts, confit lemon and crisp orchard fruit. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, chalky and structured, with bright acids and a more overtly phenolic chassis than its white counterpart, concluding with a long, delicately nutty finish.

Sparkling Fragrant, with notes of chalk and spring blossom on the nose, this fresh and focused version offers a finely detailed, lacy palate of white raspberry, peach skin, toast and candied ginger flavors. Long and creamy on the spice- and smoke-laced finish. Disgorged November 2016. Drink now through 2030.-A.N.