Bollinger R.D. is one of Champagne’s most extraordinary expressions of time: a wine that spent around 14 years ageing on its lees yet was disgorged only shortly before release, creating a remarkable contrast between mature, developed flavours and striking freshness. Made from 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay sourced from 18 Premier and Grand Cru villages, it is rich and vinous rather than simply delicate, with marzipan, baked apple, apricot and brioche opening into bergamot, Mirabelle plum, peach and fresh hazelnut. Underneath all that maturity is the energy of the exceptional 2008 vintage – vivid acidity, a beautifully precise mousse and a distinctly saline, chalky finish. Fermentation takes place entirely in Bollinger’s old oak barrels, while an exceptionally low dosage of just 3g/L leaves the wine intensely dry and focused. R.D. stands for Récemment Dégorgé, or Recently Disgorged, and that concept is what makes the wine so special: decades of potential complexity combined with the brightness of a Champagne that has only recently been awakened from its lees. It is spectacular now, but the 2008 has enough structure and energy to continue evolving for many years.
Bollinger R.D., Producer
Champagne Bollinger was founded in Aÿ on 6 February 1829 by three very different personalities. Athanase de Villermont had inherited substantial vineyard holdings around Aÿ but, as a member of the aristocracy, could not engage directly in commerce. He therefore joined forces with Paul Renaudin, a local Champagne specialist, and Joseph-Jacob-Placide “Jacques” Bollinger, a German-born wine merchant. Together they created Renaudin-Bollinger & Cie, with Paul responsible for the cellar and Joseph concentrating on sales.
Over almost two centuries, Bollinger developed one of Champagne’s most distinctive house styles. Pinot Noir plays a particularly important role, giving the wines their characteristic depth, structure and vinous quality, while oak fermentation and unusually long ageing contribute further complexity.
One of the most important figures in the house’s history was Elisabeth Bollinger, better known as Madame Bollinger or “Aunt Lily”. She took control of the company in 1941 after the death of her husband Jacques, aged just 42 and in the middle of the Second World War. She went on to run the house for three decades, maintaining traditional practices such as fermentation in oak at a time when they were becoming increasingly unfashionable.
Her most radical contribution came in the 1960s. At a time when many Champagne houses were concentrating on elaborate bottles and packaging to distinguish their prestige wines, Madame Bollinger decided that Bollinger should differentiate itself through taste instead.
Her idea was deceptively simple: take an exceptional vintage Champagne, allow it to mature for an extraordinarily long time on its lees, disgorge it shortly before release and use an exceptionally low dosage. The result would combine the mature aromas of extended ageing with the energy and freshness created by recent disgorgement.
The concept officially became Bollinger R.D. in 1967. R.D. stands for Récemment Dégorgé – Recently Disgorged – and the first releases included the 1952 vintage for the UK market, 1953 for France and Switzerland and 1955 for the United States and Italy.
Far from simply being Bollinger’s most expensive Champagne, R.D. represents a very specific interpretation of vintage Champagne, and only particularly distinguished harvests are selected for it.
Bollinger R.D., Terroir & Winemaking
The 2008 blend is 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay drawn from 18 different crus across Champagne. Approximately 84% of the fruit comes from Grand Cru vineyards and 16% from Premier Cru sites.
Pinot Noir comes principally from Aÿ and Verzenay, two villages central to Bollinger’s identity, while Chardonnay is led by fruit from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant in the Côte des Blancs. Only the cuvée – the finest juice from the first pressing – is used.
The unusually high proportion of Pinot Noir is fundamental to the wine. It provides the body, savoury depth and almost tannic grip that make R.D. feel more like a great wine that happens to have bubbles than a conventional aperitif-style Champagne. Chardonnay contributes freshness, precision and the citrus-mineral character necessary to balance that richness.
The 2008 growing season began under considerably less promising circumstances than the finished wine might suggest. Spring remained cool, and unsettled conditions continued well into summer. Sunshine returned in time for harvest, however, and the combination of slow ripening and healthy fruit resulted in exceptionally balanced grapes.
Bollinger describes the vintage as particularly impressive for Pinot Noir, with Chardonnay showing both power and liveliness and Pinot Noir combining character with balanced structure. The naturally strong acidity of the year has proven crucial to the wine’s extraordinary longevity.
Winemaking follows some of Bollinger’s most traditional methods. The base wines undergo fermentation entirely in oak rather than stainless steel. The house uses older 228-litre barrels and larger 400-litre casks, some up to around 40 years old, so the purpose is not to make the Champagne taste overtly of new oak.
Instead, barrel fermentation provides gentle oxygen exposure, texture and savoury complexity. Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation take place in barrel.
After blending and secondary fermentation in bottle, R.D. undergoes its defining period of maturation. The 2008 spent approximately 14 years ageing on its lees – more than four times longer than the minimum required by Champagne regulations.
Even more unusually, this ageing takes place under natural cork rather than the crown caps commonly used during Champagne’s secondary fermentation. Bottles must consequently be riddled and disgorged by hand.
The lees – spent yeast cells remaining in the bottle after secondary fermentation – gradually break down during this exceptionally long maturation. This process contributes the brioche, bread, nut and savoury flavours associated with aged Champagne while also refining the wine’s texture.
Yet Bollinger deliberately delays disgorgement until very close to release. Bottles of the 2008 were disgorged during 2022, although the precise date varies between batches and is printed on the individual bottle. Some documented bottles were disgorged in October 2022 and others in November.
After disgorgement, the dosage is only 3g/L, placing R.D. firmly in the Extra Brut category. That extremely low dosage allows the acidity, minerality and savoury character of the vintage to remain completely exposed.
This is the central paradox of R.D.: the wine tastes mature because of its extraordinarily long lees ageing, but simultaneously youthful because it has spent relatively little time ageing under cork after disgorgement.
Bollinger R.D. 2008, Tasting Notes
Deep golden in colour with brilliant reflections and an exceptionally fine stream of bubbles.
The nose is immediately complex. Marzipan, toasted almond and fresh hazelnut sit alongside stewed apricot, baked apple and pear, while brioche, freshly baked bread and patisserie reveal the long period spent on the lees.
With time in the glass, the wine becomes noticeably fresher and more aromatic. Bergamot and orange peel appear alongside Mirabelle plum, vine peach and lemon zest, with acacia honey and dried flowers bringing a softer, more mature dimension. Bollinger itself highlights marzipan, stewed apricot, honey, breadcrumbs and bergamot as key elements of the 2008.
The palate is broad and intensely vinous, with a rich but extraordinarily precise mousse. There is genuine weight through the middle of the wine, driven largely by Pinot Noir, but 2008’s acidity immediately brings everything back into focus.
Citrus provides the initial freshness before moving towards Mirabelle plum, peach and dried orchard fruit. Hazelnut becomes increasingly prominent as the wine opens, accompanied by subtle toast, spice and a savoury quality reminiscent of freshly baked bread.
The low dosage is particularly noticeable on the finish. At only 3g/L, there is almost no sweetness to soften the edges, leaving the wine dry, chalky and intensely saline.
That saltiness combines with fresh hazelnut and citrus to produce a finish of extraordinary length. The wine feels mature and youthful at exactly the same time – one of the defining characteristics of the R.D. style.
Bollinger R.D. 2008, Awards
James Suckling – 99 points
Wine Advocate – 98+ points
Wine Spectator – 97 points
Decanter – 97 points
Food pairing suggestion: Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Purée, Brown Butter, Piedmont Hazelnuts and Lemon.
Bollinger itself recommends scallops with Piedmont hazelnuts for R.D. 2008, and the logic is almost perfect.
Scallops have enough sweetness and richness to stand alongside such a vinous Champagne without overwhelming its finesse. Hazelnuts directly echo one of the defining flavours of R.D. 2008, while brown butter picks up the wine’s brioche, toast and mature lees character.
Cauliflower brings soft, savoury richness, but plenty of lemon and the Champagne’s piercing acidity prevent the pairing from becoming heavy. This is a dish substantial enough for R.D. while still allowing the wine to remain the most important thing on the table.
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