PN AYC18 75 cl. Blanc de Noirs

Bollinger PN AYC 18 is made exclusively from Pinot Noir (PN), with the majority of grapes coming from estate-owned vineyards in the Grand Cru village of Aÿ, based on the excellent 2018 vintage. Aÿ is one of the rare 17 villages classified as Grand Cru in the Champagne region. The vineyards are located in the heart of three important areas: the Côtes des Blancs, the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne. 50% reserve wines, including 25% aged in magnum bottles from 2009 Aÿ, which then added to bring notes of aromatic harmony and additional complexity to the blend.

Bollinger is famous for their Pinot Noir, so it's no surprise that its signature rich and open style shines through. The wonderful smoky, nutty and caramel notes of Bollinger's distinct foudre aging (50% of the wines are fermented in oak barrels) are already present, and the reserve wines add to its exceptional aromatic intensity.

The weather: 2018 was a very unusual year in more ways than one. After an unusually rainy winter, the spring was very mild. The heat brought with it stormy and sometimes destructive weather as well as varying rainfall throughout the season. The summer was very hot, dry and sunny, surpassing even the record high temperatures of 2003. 2018 is therefore a new benchmark for the Champagne region in terms of heat, drought and sunshine.

Technical information:
Vineyards: Grand Cru: Aÿ & Verzenay | Premier Cru: Tauxières & Avenay-Val-d'Or
Grape varieties: 100% Pinot Noir
Fermentation: More than 50% vinified in oak barrels
Reserve wines: 53% 2017, 2016 & as much as 25% of 2009 vintage reserve wine magnum.
Base year: 2018
Storage: 4 years
Dosage: 6 g/l
Disgorged: January 2023
Ready to drink with storage potential until 2035

97/100 Points by Tyson Stelzer
“PN AYC18 is a showpiece for the expansive dimensions, intoxicating allure and purity of Aÿ pinot noir; a wonderfully characterful blanc de noirs that celebrates the sumptuous fruit generosity of 2018 and the purity and precision of this fabled cru. With the generous tones of a full straw hue and a blush tint, it ripples with grand fruit depth of red cherries and perfectly ripe plums. The magnificent depth of complexity that is Bollinger rumbles in deep reserves, reminiscent of fruit mince spice and dried nectarines. I love that it is so emphatically Aÿ, so intrinsically Bollinger, and yet all transposed with the transparency and delicious fruit generosity that is 2018. It holds fantastic, succulent allure on a very long finish; the ripeness of 2018 translating in supple, silky fruit generosity, yet in no way heavy or broad, beautifully energized by the fine chalk salinity and pure acid freshness that make Aÿ such a beloved place.”
Tysonstelzer.comJun 2023