Medium to full straw-yellow colour. The bouquet is complex and rich with nougat, coconut, almond nuances, which translate faithfully to the palate which is full-bodied and rich, ample, generously-flavoured and dry, the aftertaste lingering on and on. The palate balance is excellent, the acidity bright and seamless. It possesses great drinkability as well as the dryness and body of a very serious wine. A wine of great character and fascination. Sheer magic! (Disgorged August 2019) Tasted March 2020. Huon Hooke

Disgorged in July 2019, Bollinger's 2012 Brut La Grande Année is showing well, offering up an incipiently complex bouquet of crisp yellow orchard fruit, fresh peach, orange oil, toasted walnuts and dried apricot that's still quite reserved with less than a year on cork. Full-bodied, deep and muscular, the 2012 is blockier and broader-shouldered than its 2008 predecessor, with a weightier and even more concentrated palate built around a bright spine of acidity, concluding with a chalky finish that carries appreciably dry extract. This isn't quite as elegant as the exquisite 2008, but it is a superb effort and obviously built to age. 95pts Drink 2024 - 2050. Tasted March 2020. William Kelley - Wine Advocate