2002 Champagne Bollinger, R.D., Extra Brut

White
Dry
Full Bodied

Ready - mature (Drink 2008 - 2026)

Richard Hemming MW: 18/20
Charles Curtis MW: 94/100
Antonio Galloni: 95/100
Allen Meadows: 98/100
Stephan Reinhardt: 92/100
William Kelley: 95/100
James Suckling: 99/100

Product: 20028029160

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Description

Bollinger’s 2002 R.D. was always going to be special. It is a great vintage, a grand house and a magnificent pedigree. From the beginning, it flows into the glass, creating a superb, creamy mousse that leads to brioche and honeyed hints, signifying all the richness, weight, and sheer concentration that late disgorgement brings to the best Champagne.

That gorgeous creaminess first seen at pouring comes through again, tight-knit and in multiple waves of different hues and flavours before finally finishing fresh, youthful and even zesty. A terrific wine and one to intrigue for decades – on those very special occasions.

Tom Cave, Private Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd

With the anticipated excitement around the quality of the 2002 vintage, this wine was bound to be thrilling, and we are not disappointed. There is a full and lively mousse, an effervescence that accentuates the aromas of hazelnut, manuka honey, gunflint, white flowers and dried Verbena on the nose.

At first, the palate is rich, open and full of swathes of ripe pear and honey; in a matter of moments, this opulence turns on itself. The tension and nerve on the back of the palate are incredible; the acidity and energy are taut and steely, much like a playful yet painfully shy child. This 2002 R. D. is complex and cerebral. Full of intrigue now but one that will last for years.

Stuart Rae, Commercial Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Colour White

Sweetness Dry

Vintage 2002

Maturity Ready - mature (2008 - 2026)

Body Full Bodied

Producer Bollinger

Critics reviews

Richard Hemming MW 18/20

Disgorged 17 May 2017. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay (usually more like 30%).Incredibly intense aromas – baked apple, cinnamon, freshly baked bread. Conventional and recognisably champagne, but to a greater, more intense degree. There is some creamy coffee on the palate and wonderfully savoury salinity on the finish. Very, very long persistence. Champagne to the power of ten.Drink 2018 - 2033richard_hemming_mw, JancisRobinson.com (March 2018)

Drink 2018 - 2033

Richard Hemming MW, JancisRobinson.com (Mar 2018)

Charles Curtis MW 94/100

This late-release version of the vintage wine from Bollinger was 13 years on the lees before being disgorged in May of 2017 with an extra-brut dosage of just 3g/L. The initial blend was 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, fermented in cask, and aged under cork. The wine is a sublime expression of the late-disgorged style, both very fresh and showing characteristic notes of coffee and toast that long lees ageing brings. The texture is very lively and crisp, and the energy of the 2002 vintage carries this to an immense finish. This wine should age for decades.Drink 2021 - 2051Charles Curtis MW, Decanter.com (April 2021)

Drink 2018 - 2033

Charles Curtis MW, Decanter.com (Apr 2021)

Antonio Galloni 95/100

The most remarkable thing about the 2002 Extra Brut R.D. is its tense and structure. Despite being disgorged over two years ago, the 2002 is tightly wound. After several hours, the power and resonance of the vintage start to come through, along with the natural richness of Pinot from Aÿ. Whereas most 2002 Champagnes are quite ripe in profile, the 2002 R.D. has plenty of depth, but it is depth through concentration instead of elevated ripeness. The low dosage style further adds to that sensation. Hints of chamomile, sage, dried flower and red fruits emerge over time, but only with reluctance. I prefer to cellar the 2002 for at least a few years. If that is not possible, readers should open the wine at least a few hours in advance. Even so, the 2002's best drinking lies somewhere in the future. I sense that the 2002 will be at its best between the ages of 20 and 30.Disgorged: September 11, 2015.Drink 2020 - 2032antonio_galloni, Vinous.com.com (December 2017)

Drink 2018 - 2033

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (Dec 2017)

Allen Meadows 98/100

Fully mature aromas comprise lovely brioche, citrus and baked apple nuances. There is a notably refined bead to the mousse that is dense, yet a little aeration allows the beautifully delineated yet subtly shaded full-bodied flavours to shine before culminating in a beautifully long, complex, intensely yeasty and classy finish. As the R.D. almost always is, this is full-flavoured, yet it arguably drinks like a blanc de blancs because of its purity and subtlety. In a word, this is gorgeous. Note that I have experienced some bottle variation, with some seeming distinctly more youthful than others.Drink nowallen_meadows, burghound_com.com (October 2020)

Drink 2018 - 2033

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (Oct 2020)

Stephan Reinhardt 92/100

Big names do not help if you are not familiar with a certain house style, and so I can understand everyone who dislikes Bollinger's 2002 RD Extra Brut, which at first sight reveals a matured if not an old wine displaying toffee, floral (hyacinths, narcissus, sage), vegetal and spicy aromas (oak, cannabis, frankincense, black bread) -- but almost no fruit (at least no fresh fruit). This wine was disgorged in March 2014, but just needs a lot of time in the glass to develop its complexity. On the palate this is a very pure, fresh, lively, firmly structured and almost ascetic wine with complexity, but almost no sensuality. Very distinctive style.Stephan Reinhardt - 30/10/2015

Drink 2018 - 2033

Stephan Reinhardt, RobertParker.com (Oct 2015)

William Kelley 95/100

I've encountered some bottle variation with Bollinger's 2002 Extra-Brut R. D., but this example, disgorged in 2016, was showing exceptionally well, offering up a deep bouquet of dried fruits, orange zest, mocha, spices, English walnuts and hazelnuts. Full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with a pillowy, seamless profile and a fleshy core, it concludes with a long, sapid finish. With two grams per litre less acidity than the more incisive 2008 (which has yet to be released as R. D.), the 2002 is a giving, expansive wine that is drinking well today.Drink 2015 - 2030William Kelley, Wine Advocate (August 2022)

Drink 2018 - 2033

William Kelley, RobertParker.com (Aug 2022)

James Suckling 99/100

Super fresh, this is striking given the 10 years in the cellars; it has a fine citrus nose - plenty of lemon, grapefruit, yellow chalky notes, some lighter floral elements too. The palate is super dry (dosage at 3-4g) and there's a silky, sherbet-like texture, smooth, fine and long. The citrus flavours give way to the driving surging acidity, thunderous acidity, really driving and powerful. The finish twists very slowly through to light-toasted cashew fruit flavours, but lemon citrus prevails. This is thrilling Champagne. Disgorged 22nd October, 2013. Drink from 2016. james_suckling - jamessuckling_com - May 2014

Drink 2018 - 2033

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (May 2014)

About this wine

Bollinger

The Champagne House of Bollinger was established in 1829 by Jacques Bollinger and Paul Renaudin. Over the years the vineyard holdings have been steadily increased with the largest expansion taking place under the stewardship of the legendary Mme Lily Bollinger. She ran the company between 1941 and 1977 and today it is managed by her great-nephew, Ghislain de Montgolfier.

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Champagne

In 1668, Dom Pérignon is said to have discovered how to make sparkling wine; today his technique is used the world over, although Champagne continues to make some of the finest. France’s most northerly wine region, Champagne is now home to 15,000 growers and 290 ‘houses’. A blend of grape varieties is usually required: white Chardonnay to add fruit and elegance, and two reds – Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – to provide body and backbone.

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