1996 Bollinger, La Grande Annee

Vinous 93+

Medium yellow color. Brooding aromas of pineapple, pine needles, toffee and nuts. Dense, full and quite dry, with penetrating fruit, hints of oak spice, and powerful acids that have not yet come into harmony. But this extremely impressive young Bollinger vintage shifts into a higher gear on the back end, showing even more flavor intensity than it does in the middle palate. This boasts the near-freakish combination of high ripeness and high acidity shared by the best ’96s. Builds and builds on the back; one must practically scrape this off the palate. A worthy follow-up to the ’95, and likely to develop in bottle for a couple of decades. [Stephen Tanzer, 11/01/2003]

Robert Parker 95

Disgorged January 2005. A deeper hue compared to the 1999, the nose with greater intensity, with delicate honeyed/buttery tones, green apples, a little more mushroomy just in the background, great lift and gaining intensity in the glass. Quintessential Bollinger bouquet. The palate has a rich entry, very good ripeness with touches of clear honey, a touch of mango, melted butter, white flowers and much greater weight than the 1999. Superb definition towards the finish and great length. Outstanding Bollinger, one for the cellar if you can resist temptation. Drink now-2020+ Tasted December 2008. [Neal Martin, 01/12/2008]

Anticipated maturity: 2009-2020