Bollinger La Côte aux Enfants Champagne 2014

Bollinger La Côte aux Enfants Champagne 2014
 
This Blanc de Noirs draws on the northwest-facing sector of Bollinger's monopole in Aÿ — 30cm of topsoil over pure chalk, a counterpoint to the south-facing block that has fed the house's Coteaux Champenois since 1934. 100% Pinot Noir, first released with the 2012 vintage, produced only in select years.
 
2014 brought a wet, mild dormancy, early bud break and a cool, damp summer redeemed by a favourable September. Bollinger held off harvest to push phenolic maturity — later than most houses were willing to wait. The resulting wine is more open and expressive than the tightly wound 2012 and 2013 releases: generous fruit, a taut chalk-driven acid spine, and the site's characteristic tension between ripeness and reticence. Further ageing potential is considerable given the vintage's acid levels.
 
Vineyard farmed without herbicides, HVE-certified since 2012.