This pristine bottle of Bollinger's 1985 La Grande Année was showing brilliantly, wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of smoky yellow orchard fruit, walnuts, fino sherry and mocha. On the palate, it's...
This pristine bottle of Bollinger's 1985 La Grande Année was showing brilliantly, wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of smoky yellow orchard fruit, walnuts, fino sherry and mocha. On the palate, it's full-bodied, broad and powerful, with a more than vestigial pinpoint mousse, ripe acids and a deep but open-knit core, underpinned by racy acids and concluding with a long, gently oxidative finish. This is a classic Bollinger that's in its prime from well-stored bottles. - William Kelley