Bollinger Brut Champagne La Grande Année 1999

98 points James Suckling: "This is a phenomenal Champagne from magnum with intense aromas of crème brûlée, dried apple, dried apricot and pear. Some tropical fruit but always subtle. Full-bodied, dense and layered wtih beautiful fruits and a long, long finish. Wonderful fruit, limestone and white pepper aftertaste. A joy to taste. (6/12/16)"

94 points Wine Spectator: "A beautiful Champagne, from the complex floral-, coffee- and brioche-scented nose to the graphite, vanilla and citrus flavors. Light-weight and intense, with a lively structure and a long, lingering finish. (11/15/07)"

93 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "I reviewed this wine in the last feature on Champagne in the last issue, based on a bottle I tasted in Munich last summer. I was very glad to be able to revisit the wine here in New York, as this bottle showed a step up from the bottle we had in Munich. The bouquet is deep, complex and a nice blend of Bollinger’s oxidative style and youthful overtones in its mélange of apple, pink grapefruit, sour dough bread, DP-like herbal streaks, lovely minerality, a bit of yeastiness and a nice touch of citrus peel in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and complex, with a rock solid core of fruit, lovely focus, bright acids and a long, complex and slightly oxidative finish fully in keeping with this venerable firm’s house style. A lovely wine, with significantly more raciness and grip than the last bottle I tried. (Sep/Oct 2009)"

93 points Allen Meadows (Burghound): "(a classic blend of two-thirds pinot noir and the remainder in chardonnay). This was reviewed two years ago and it is coming along quite nicely even if still not quite ready. It remains a very elegant and pure wine that is youthful and still has not developed any overt secondary aromas though you can sense that these are not far away. The moderately tight and focused flavors are beginning to develop lovely depth and length with solid energy. I would suggest cellaring this for at least another 2 to 3 years and as I observed in the last review, 10 to 15 are not out of the question for those who enjoy well-aged examples. An excellent Champagne but a bit more patience is required. Drink: 2012+. (Oct 2009)"

93 points Josh Raynolds (Vinous): "(disgorged December, 2006) Pale straw. Vibrant, exotically perfumed bouquet evokes fresh pear and nectarine, with a wild spicecake quality adding complexity. Cinnamon-accented orchard fruit flavors are strikingly precise and palate-coating. Delivers outstanding concentration and finesse and finishes with superb persistence. (Nov/Dec 2007)"

93 points Peter Moser (Falstaff) (2/12/16).

93 points Richard Juhlin: "(63% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay). I hope that it is not a trend to make the vintage wine with more and more Chardonnay. It feels extremely important that the world of champagne still has its strongest Pinot outpost left! Enough of criticism. The 99 is super-gorgeous with lovely balance and easily accessible creaminess, even now with chocolate and nutty undertones. Will certainly keep for a very long time and should, despite its early charm, be stored for at least five more years before being consumed. (Dec 2021)"