The 2014 Bollinger Grande Année is a Champagne blend that has garnered exceptional reviews from various professional wine reviewers, highlighting its complexity and excellence.
According to Decanter, this offering from Bollinger is “both deeply resonant and surprisingly subtle,” with flavors of blackberry, roasted plum, chestnut honey, rye bread, and cocoa. The wine is noted for its “zesty brightness and roasted orchard fruit,” making it one of the top Champagnes of 2014. This vintage spent six and a half years on its lees, contributing to its rich and integrated profile.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded this Champagne a score of 95, praising its complex aromas of “crisp yellow orchard fruit, confit citrus, frangipane, walnuts, dried white flowers, and subtle hints of iodine.” Described as medium to full-bodied, the wine has a “pillowy and vinous” texture with a “long, chalky finish,” showcasing Bollinger’s commitment to quality even in challenging vintages.
Vinous gave the wine an outstanding score of 98, calling it “bright, focused, and full of energy.” The review emphasizes the wine’s ability to stand out even in a busy setting, reflecting the late-ripening vintage’s best qualities.
Wine Spectator also lauded the 2014 Grande Année with a score of 97, noting its “racy acidity” and “fine and creamy mousse.” The wine features a “rich panoply of flavors” including crème de cassis, glazed tangerine, roasted hazelnut, ground coffee, pickled ginger, and white blossoms. It is described as “long and satiny,” with minerally salt and chalk notes on the finish. This vintage is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, disgorged in July 2021, and is expected to drink well through 2037.
Wine Enthusiast highlighted the wine’s “hallmark Bollinger richness” derived from fermentation in wood and a high percentage of Pinot Noir. Awarding it 97 points, the review describes the wine as “ripe, full of apple and spice flavors,” and recommends holding it until 2024 for further development.
Jeb Dunnuck, giving it 96 points, noted the wine’s “perfumed and mineral-tinged notes of saline and lemon custard.” The wine has a “focused and linear feel” with “salty minerality” and a “long, persistent spine of acidity.”
James Suckling, who rated it 94, appreciated its “pie-crust and bread-dough aromas with lemon and apple tart,” describing it as “creamy” with “lovely elegance.” The review noted the wine’s “contrastive” nature and crisp finish, despite the challenging vintage.
The Wine Independent echoed these sentiments with a 96+ score, noting the wine’s “refined pedigree” and “beautifully balanced” palate. It’s described as “lithe and winsome” with an “electric shimmer of acidity” bringing freshness to a long finish.
Overall, the 2014 Bollinger Grande Année is a well-regarded Champagne blend that combines rich flavors, precise acidity, and a long, satisfying finish.