We're now entering the last week of November, meaning (unbelievable as it may seem) we're only a month away from Christmas Day itself! Each passing week in our extensive Champagne journey leading up to the day has brought in more verve from all returning followers, as well as an array of new faces - it's been an absolute thrill for us so far! Now, similar to a few weeks ago when we covered Perrier-Jouët and Mumm, we once again bring together two beloved houses for a combined offer this coming week - Ayala andBollinger!
We already sense these two will go hand-in-hand very nicely when we pop the following lineup open at this Saturday's (29th) tasting! Chardonnay has always been Ayala's be-all end-all, aiming to express the total elegance of the grape with their notable commitment to a low dosage regime, resulting in wines that feel pure, direct and mineral-intensive. Then on the other side, Pinot Noir is Bollinger's prized backbone, and the prime motivator behind their powerful, structural winemaking. This contrast will be a beautiful one to behold!
From 12 to 2pm (or until bottles run dry), we'll have both entry-point Bruts open, with the chalky Brut Majeur NV and classically rich Special Cuvée NV, which are currently coming encased in limited edition 007 gift boxes, for all those James Bond fans out there. The brilliant 2018 vintage in the region will be shown across both houses too, with Ayala's A/18 Blanc de Blancs, and Bollinger's PN AYC18 Blanc de Noirs, both big on flavour and finish. We'll have the Brut Rosé popped for all the pink bubble fans, and to finish, two standout Bollinger labels in their La Grande Année 2015 and very limited R.D. 2008 vintage!
All will be sitting on the ice and waiting for you all come the weekend - for any who won't be in to taste but need some timely top-ups for the fridge as we enter the first days of December, you'll find all the tasting bottles below (plus some additional options incl. magnums) on special until next Monday rolls around!
The Lineup -
Ayala Brut Majeur NV -
$85 on special this week ($95 RRP)
// 55% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 15% Pinot Meunier
2021 base vintage, with 40% reserve wines dating back to 2016
Disgorged late 2024
6g/L dosage
"Vigorous fine bead. Very toasty nose with complex development and brioche. The palate is showing layered development too, some caramel and caraway notes accompanying savoury fruit on the layered, off-dry finish." - 94 Points, Stephen Wong, The Real Review
"A layered wine with spicy, almost stony, minerality. Salted lemons and oranges. Crisp on the palate with light to medium body and flavors of strawberries and restrained pastry. Chalky mineral aftertaste." - 94 Points, James Suckling
Bollinger Special Cuvée NV
(w/ Limited Edition 007 James Bond Gift Box) -
$95 ongoing special ($109 RRP)
*Soon to transition back to regular gift boxes
// 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, and 15% Meunier
2018 base vintage, with 55% reserve wines
Disgorged May 2022
8g/L dosage
"Light yellow/straw to rose-gold colour; the bouquet is very complex and driven by mellow toasty, brioche and nutty characters but also parsnip, celery, dried herbs and orange-peel with a trace of brown-apple. The palate has even more accentuated toastiness, with lively acidity which is fresh and cleansing, while the finish is very dry following a fruit-rich middle, the follow-through very long-lasting. Impresisve." - 95 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"A rich though youthful golden hue, the NV Champagne Special Cuvée Brut is classic and ripe with lush, rounded, and complex aromas of golden apricot, hazelnut, wet stone, and black cherry. It’s full-bodied yet elegant and light on its feet, with a ripe and luxurious feel and just a hint of warmth on the finish. The mousse is refined and rounded. Long on the palate, it's inviting now but will have plenty of life ahead of it if stored property. This exceptional cuvée with its distinctive personality continues to be one of the best entry wines to the range from this house and is a benchmark wine for them." - 93 Points, Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com
Ayala 'A/18' Blanc de Blancs 2018 -
$142 on special this week ($159 RRP)
// 100% Chardonnay (Grand & Premier Crus of the Cotes des Blancs & Montagne de Reims)
6 years of lees aging in total before disgorgement in July 2024
5g/L dosage
"Light, bright yellow hue; intense and fresh bouquet of lemon iced pastries, subtle toastiness, dried flowers and candied citrus peel. Intense and bright on the palate with concentrated citrusy fruit, candied fruits and the palate rich and full with an impression of sweetness and a little phenolic thickness on the extreme back of the palate. Big flavour, long finish." - 95 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"2018 Extra Brut Le Blanc de Blancs A/18 is bright, airy and finely cut. Citrus, white flowers and light tropical accents all grace this mid-weight, racy Blanc de Blancs. The 5 grams of dosage feels well measured." - 92 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Bollinger Brut Rosé NV -
$142 on special this week ($159 RRP)
// 62% Pinot Noir, 24% Chardonnay and 14% Pinot Meunier
8 months in barrel, then ~3 years on lees before disgorgement
7-8g/L dosage
"Bright pink colour, showing the excellent freshness that is also evident on nose and palate. Dried strawberry; gently nutty; no obvious aldehyde. A fuller, rounder style of pink Champagne, lovely balance and mouth-feel, the dosage isn't evident and neither is it as super-dry as the vintage Bollinger wines. Very good." - 93 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"Deep red-berry nose, plus some nectarine, spice and candied-orange notes. Powerful and fresh, the hint of tannin from the red-wine component of the blend neatly balanced by the creaminess. Excellent textural complexity, then a long, delicately spicy and mineral finish." - 93 Points, James Suckling
Bollinger PN AYC18 Blanc de Noirs -
$215 on special this week ($239 RRP)
// 100% Pinot Noir from Grand & Premier Cru vineyards
2018 base vintage (53%), backed up by 47% reserve wines from 2017, 2016 and 2009
Aged on lees for 4 years before disgorgement in early 2023
6g/L dosage
"Light straw, almost rose-gold colour indicating black grapes, and the bouquet has a lot of complexity from oak and aldehydes, nougat, coconut and flor-sherry nuances, while it's full-bodied and rich on the tongue, with a very dry balance and mouth-filling flavour and textural grip. Lots of almond, biscuit and spice aromas. A powerhouse of a wine, the strength of pinot noir comes rocketing through. It takes blanc de noirs style to an extreme, and I love it." - 96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"Foregrounding the village of Aÿ, a commune crucial to Bollinger's distinctive style, the wine wafts from the glass with aromas of golden orchard fruit, honeycomb, buttered toast, freshly baked bread and dried white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and vinous, with an ample core of fruit that's girdled by lively acids and animated by an elegant pinpoint mousse, this suave, charming Champagne concludes with a chalky finish. This has turned out beautifully." - 94 Points, William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Bollinger La Grande Année 2015 -
$275 on special this week ($315 RRP)
// 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay (fruit 79% Grand Cru and 21% Premier Cru)
Aged on lees for 6.5 years before disgorgement in July 2023
8g/L dosage
"Medium-light straw with golden reflections, indicating red grapes in the mix. The bouquet is rich and complex, powerful and loaded with savoury toasted-bread, roasted-nut, coconut/aldehyde and dried fruit aromas, an extraordinary array of scents. It all translates directly to the palate where its voluminous flavour fills every corner of the mouth, a little vanilla is added, and it lasts a long time on the aftertaste. The balance is impeccable: the acidity is there but doesn't make itself felt, while the dryness is refreshing and appetising. A powerful wine in which barrel ageing is a strong and obvious influence on flavour and bouquet." - 97 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"Bollinger's 2015 Brut Grand Année is an intriguing wine in that is clearly reflects the decision to pick on the later side in order to avoid vegetal notes derived from the mismatch of alcoholic and phenolic ripeness. 'Balance was hard to achieve in 2015,' Chef de Cave Denis Bunner notes. 'At 10% in sugar, the fruit was simply not ripe. We had to wait to reach the optimal window of ripeness.' Dried citrus peel, sage, menthol, sage, tangerine peel and spice build with some coaxing. Light tropical overtones develop with aeration. There's real density and textural richness here. This will be a fascinating vintage to follow. Stylistically, it is the complete opposite from the much more linear 2014 that precedes it." - 96 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Bollinger R.D. Extra Brut 2008 -
$599 on special this week ($670 RRP)
(Limited availability)
// 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay
13 years on lees before disgorgement in late 2022
3g/L dosage
"When I was tasting Bollinger's brilliant Grande Année in this vintage, I was trying to imagine how good the 2008 Extra-Brut R. D. would be, as the style of the vintage seems almost perfectly adapted to this cuvée. Four years later, we have the answer, and the wine is brilliant. Disgorged in 2022, it's more reserved out of the gates than the dramatic Grande Année was on release, unwinding in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, orange peel, freshly baked bread, subtle hints of fino sherry, wet stones and macadamia nut. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, with a deep core of fruit that's animated by racy acids and a refined pinpoint mousse, concluding with a bone-dry finish. Extremely harmonious and full of youthful energy, it's the finest R. D. of the decade and one that will richly reward a bit of additional age on cork. In style, the most obvious comparison is with the 1996, but the 2008 is more integrated and harmonious on release." - 98+ Points, William Kelley, Wine Advocate
"Bright in colour with gold reflections, the aromatics are immediately captivating, with marzipan, acacia, apricot and patisserie all vying for attention. It’s impossibly youthful yet reassuringly mature, a bread basket of delicious contradiction. Cerebral seduction ensues on the palate, with dried fruits, bergamot and lime joining the party, then come the hazelnut notes – which have been identified as a leitmotif for the vintage – and a clean, almost chalky finish to restore rigorous harmony. Precision in no way undermines generosity, and generosity in no way undermines potential. A very fine piece of work all in all." - 97 Points, Simon Field MW, Decanter
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- Other options also on special this week -
Ayala Rosé Majeur NV -
$108 on special this week ($120 RRP)
Ayala Brut Majeur NV MAGNUM -
$205 on special this week ($230 RRP)
Ayala Collection No. 16 Blanc de Blancs 2016 -
$225 on special this week ($255 RRP)
Bollinger Special Cuvée NV MAGNUM -
$265 on special this week ($295 RRP)
If you wish to purchase any of these champagnes, please use the links above
Otherwise, if you have any questions, please contact us on (07)32521117 or email sales@thewineemporium.com.au
// Special prices valid until Monday the 1st of December