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Bollinger PN VZ15 Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne NV (1.5L)

$249.99
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En magnum. A brand new Bollinger bottling with a name short and to the point. 2015 vintage Pinot Noir mostly from Verzenay.

Walking the storied caves of Champagne Bollinger in the renowned village of Aÿ, you can’t help but wonder if everyone who works here is a little crazy. This is the wine industry, and Champagne's maisons are famous for capitalistic pursuits. Yet at Bollinger, decisions seem to be focused between the bounds of science and artistic expression. Excellence is the priority, no matter the cost.

This pursuit of excellence began with Madame Bollinger. Of course, there were a slew of men who’d established and expanded the estate over the century before her, but it was this 42-year-old widow who changed its destiny.

Maybe being widowed at the height of WWII inspired her to take nothing for granted. Each step in the production was held up to rigorous examination. Pressing, fermentation and aging vessels, blending components, closures for secondary fermentation, time sur latte, riddling and of course dosage levels. If it touched the juice or the wine, it was scrutinized.

For instance, she discovered that when aged up to 5 years — as Bollinger's Special Cuvée is, much longer than any other Maison’s non-vintage wine — the wine was best kept under a crown cap (like a beer top) before disgorgement. Any longer than that, and a natural cork was optimal. While expensive and laborious, it better protects the wine from oxygen, allowing it to age more gracefully for longer. All of the vintage wines only use cork.

Famously, the house's reserve wine is aged in a collection of 800,000 magnums, each under cork with a touch of sugar and yeast for freshness. The expense of materials and labor for this step is mind boggling. But it's a major component in the Special Cuvée blend because it continuously presents the best results.

Finally, this one of two houses to ferment entirely in oak (the other is Krug). Bollinger recently hosted a blind tasting of special bottles of Champagnes fermented in either stainless steel, 5-, 25-, or 50-year-old barrels. The differences were stark — the older the barrel, the better, for unbeatable mouthfeel and structure. To maintain their enormous stock of barrels (some are up to 100 years old), they employ an in-house cooper, the last property in the region to do so. Special Cuvée, again, benefits from this devotion to quality.

Bollinger is one of three family-owned Champagne houses, and has been making consistent and exceptional wines for generations. We spend a lot of time extolling the virtues of Champagne’s fast-changing grower movement that we sometimes forget to appreciate what has been in front of us all along. Today, we celebrate Bollinger's commitment to their art form, no matter how crazy their methods may seem.

Professional Reviews

Antonio Galloni

AG 94
"A fabulous Champagne, the NV PN VZ 15 is a new wine from Bollinger and the first addition to the range in over a decade. As the name implies, it is a 100% Pinot Noir built on a core of fruit from Verzenay and based on the 2015 vintage....Bright and vibrant on the palate, the PN VZ 15 captures all of the Pinot richness that is such a Bollinger signature but with the freshness and verve that make Pinots from Verzenay so distinctive. Rich red fruit, mint, dried flower and spice notes play off bright acids and veins of saline-drenched minerals in a display of aromas, flavors and textures that dazzle all the senses. Think of it as a baby VVF, but with the tension of Verzenay. The blend is approximately 50% Verzenay and 50% Aÿ, Bouzy and Louvois, done about half in steel and half in oak. This release is based on the 2015 vintage (50% of the blend), with reserve wines that go back to 2009, including 20% from the reserve magnums Bollinger is so famous for." -Vinous

Robert Parker

RP 93
"Disgorged in November 2019 with seven grams per liter dosage, Bollinger's new NV Brut Blanc de Noirs PN VZ15 is based on the 2015 vintage, with reserve wines dating back to 2009, and derives largely from the village of Verzenay. Offering up aromas of green pear, honeycomb, rye toast, candied peel and buttery pastry, it's medium to full-bodied, vinous and enveloping, with a creamy attack, fine depth at the core and ripe but racy acids, complemented by a pinpoint mousse. This is a charming, gourmand and elegantly balanced Blanc de Noirs that represents a fine addition to the Bollinger portfolio." -Robert Parker

Decanter

D 94
"Marvelously powerful aromatics with delectable scents of toast, smoked hazelnuts and pastry, as well as top notes of mint. From the start, the palate is impressively vinous and concentrated but tightens in a way that tapers to a long, fine chalky finish. The hazelnut reappears along with white fruit and a touch of white flowers. This is an irresistible Champagne that expresses a combination of serious structure and real fruited charm. This is a welcome and successful new entry to Bollinger’s prestigious line-up, one that should perfectly suit a dish of quail, for example. 100% Pinot Noir. Dosage 7g/L. Disgorged November 2019."

Wine Spectator

WS 92
"Ripe black currant and tangerine fruit is set in a round and harmonious frame in this appealing Champagne, and the satiny mousse carries accents of slivered almond, salty mineral and candied pink grapefruit zest. A vivacious crowd-pleaser, with a lingering, well-spiced finish. Disgorged November 2019. Drink now through 2025. 300 cases imported."

Details

  • Grape Variety

    Pinot Noir

  • Vintage

    NV

  • Size

    1.5L

  • Farming Practice

    Sustainable

  • Style

    Aromatic , Fruity , Minerally

  • Sweetness

    Champagne Brut , Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied