jason 
Napa Valley
Wine Addict
Posts: 6900
 | | 09-12-2003 07:13 PM |
| '96 Bollinger Grand Annee.
Copiously mineral with tons of citrusy aromas, still tight and shy, almost sheepish the Champagne would not yet reveal its full depth even as it warmed up. It was well structured in the mouth with ample acidity, ripe citrus and a yeasty, leesy, very mineral finish. A wine to keep for a while before opening, atleast 5-10 years still | | |
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Stefania Wine
San Jose, CA
Grape Puncher
Posts: 725
| | 09-18-2003 10:29 PM |
| alohaj,
COuld you compare it to the 95 Grand Annee? Both are showing up in market now for me, I've bought a few of the 95's and would love a comparision between the 96 and 95. | | Paul Romero - Owner/Winemaker Stefania Wine
www.stefaniawine.com | |
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jason
Napa Valley
Wine Addict
Posts: 6900
| | 09-19-2003 06:27 PM |
| I do not believe that I have tried the 1995 as of yet. The 1996 with time will be a beautiful champagne though. Sorry that I cannot be of more help Tlily  | | | |
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ChangeMe
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1475
| | 12-07-2004 04:43 PM |
| Purchased at LWS, $79.99 /bottle. Drank last saturday....
Subtle nose. Big, rich, and dry on the palate with rasberry and tart apple flavors balanced nicely by minerals and oak. Super-long, mouth-filling, slightly chewy finish. On the back end, the flavors really start to integrate beautifully. Great now, certainly will be better in 5 to 10+ years.
I had a bottle of this early this year and was unimpressed. I am now convinced that must have been a flawed bottle. | | | |
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Rothko
Palm Beach
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5721
| | 12-07-2004 06:42 PM |
| $80 a bottle is a bit steep for this wine, isn't it? I thought it was selling recently at K&L for around $50. | | | |
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skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5452
| | 12-07-2004 07:43 PM |
| K&L has this wine for $65. Premier Cru had it for $60 but is currently out of stock. | | | |
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ChangeMe
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1475
| | 12-07-2004 09:01 PM |
| That price was with a case discount. The list was $100. One of the perks of living in Maryland is the combination of poor wine selections and very high wine prices Oh yeah, we also don't allow any wine shipping or any BYOB  | | | |
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Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts: 11243
| | 04-03-2005 04:29 PM |
| Luckily I relieved Premier Cru of much of their stock on this wine. 
The style of this wine is interesting especially when compared to some of the other Bollinger champagnes. It seems feminine to me with pretty floral and apples on the nose, more apples in the middle and a long finish. It has outstanding structure and complexity and should continue to improve with time. Contrast this to the Bollinger NV which is an NV bruiser. This champagne has a place in my personal top tier of Champagnes.
A note on the food pairing - this was not the best champagne that we've served with sushi. The Tarlant NV was better with the more strongly flavored sushi. In the future I will serve the Bollinger GA with foods with more subtle flavors - caviar, etc. | | | |
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skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5452
| | 04-03-2005 06:00 PM |
| Quote:
Luckily I relieved Premier Cru of much of their stock on this wine.
Evidently after I got there 
Quote:
A note on the food pairing - this was not the best champagne that we've served with sushi. The Tarlant NV was better with the more strongly flavored sushi. In the future I will serve the Bollinger GA with foods with more subtle flavors - caviar, etc.
Oh darn, have to pair more caviar with campagne. Sometimes it is just so difficult to be a Chamnpagne slut... | | | |
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Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts: 11243
| | 04-03-2005 06:10 PM |
| PC must have had a good stock of this if we both bought a bunch. Quote:
Oh darn, have to pair more caviar with campagne. Sometimes it is just so difficult to be a Chamnpagne slut...
Yes, our diamond shoes are much too tight. | | | |
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Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts: 11243
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David Walker
Barrel Sampler
Posts: 2284
| | 01-01-2006 04:57 PM |
| Interesting, Winetex. I just had a bottle on the 29th that I thought was quite similar to what I remember from August. Very bright and apple-ly. | | | |
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Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts: 11243
| | 05-05-2006 03:35 PM |
| - 1996 Bollinger Champagne Grande Année - France, Champagne (5/4/2006)
Improving. This 96 seems a bit further along than others we tried and was drinking beautifully. It had lovely green apple and chalk flavors. Complex and stellar bubbly. (94 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker | | | |
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wino4ever
Grape Fermenter
Posts: 578
| | 05-05-2006 04:53 PM |
| WOTN without a doubt.
The only I would describe it is simply beautiful. | | | |
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