Premiere – Bollinger ‘PN AYC 18’

Richard Juhlin met up with chef de caves Denis Bunner in January for a pre-tasting of the legend in the making – 2012 Bollinger ‘PN AYC 18’. [read the full champagne story] 

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

TASTING NOTE ‘Finally, it was time for Aÿ to take center stage in Bollinger’s new Pinot Noir series. It wasn’t until the fourth edition that one got home to the house’s most powerful stronghold and DNA. In comparison to the three previous editions, we are dealing with a tasting winner from the start.

The oak notes and the home village’s smoky features hit me like a wall of sauna, grilled meat, hazelnuts and tar. The color is deeper than in previous editions and the power stronger than in the first three PN. 47% of the wine comes from the home village in casks both from 2018 and in the reserve wine on magnums from 2009. In between these mighty parts we have steel tank-aged Tauxières, Avenay and Verzenay from the lighter and more mineral-influenced vintages of 2016 and 2017.

This particular side takes the biggest place in the middle register and mid-palate of the wine. In aroma and aftertaste, Aÿ pushes forward with its broad muscular shoulders and leaves no one untouched.

93(95)p