Spectacular wine. One of the finest vintages of the last 20 years, with excellent ripeness yet superb balance. The fruit from the ungrafted Pinot Noir in Aÿ was picked on 16 September and fermented in cask before being aged for 10 years, dosed at 8g/L. The result is still youthful, with bright primary apple and quince fruit and hints of almond, spice from the cask ferment, and a touch of yeasty autolysis. The texture is lush yet vibrant with plenty of volume and an exquisite elegance that endures through the luxuriously long finish.

Disgorged in September 2020 with four grams per liter dosage, Bollinger's 2008 Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes Françaises is one of the monumental wines of this great vintage. Soaring from the glass with a generous, honeyed bouquet of pear, orange rind, dried fruits, mocha and toasted bread, it's full-bodied, textural and enveloping, with huge concentration, racy acids and a pillowy mousse. Vinous, rich and sumptuous, it concludes with an immensely long, resonant finish. Bollinger waited until the grapes of these ungrafted vines attained 11% potential alcohol before harvesting, and they have produced the most powerful wine of the vintage—as well as one of the most profound.