Bollinger’s “James Bond 007” Millésimé 2009 is a limited-edition vintage Brut Champagne tied to the Bond franchise, but it is built on the house’s serious, Pinot Noir–driven style rather than novelty. The blend is explicitly Grand Cru in origin and leans heavily on Pinot Noir at 68%, with 32% Chardonnay. Bollinger is known for fermenting many base wines in small, older oak barrels, and in this case the wine was “fermented in small used barrels and disgorged in February 2014,” according to Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

The 2009 growing season, as quoted by Bollinger and relayed by Wine Advocate, was marked by an uneven middle—“flowering was disrupted by rain and cool temperatures” and “early summer was marked by a succession of violent storms”—followed by a strong finish: “uninterrupted excellent weather until the harvest,” with picking from “September 12 to 27 with idyllic temperatures.” The house reported “average potential alcohol…10.1° with an acidity of seven grams per liter,” pointing to a ripe year still anchored by structure.

Stephan Reinhardt (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate) scored it an excellent 92 points, calling the nose “very clear, fine and fruity,” and emphasizing the wine’s “very elegant, intense and balanced” palate. He highlights “remarkable finesse with fine pearls and sweet cherry-flavored fruit,” followed by a finish that is “well structured and quite powerful and fruity,” while still “keep[ing] the elegant style.”

Reinhardt adds a small stylistic note—“Could be drier for Bond”—but his overall assessment is of a confident, polished vintage Champagne: Pinot-led fruit, fine mousse, and a firm, authoritative close.