Bollinger Brut Champagne PN VZ19 NV

97 points Tyson Stelzer (The Champagne Guide): “(tasted in 2024 in Australia;100% pinot noir; 40% Verzenay (hence VZ), also Aÿ, Avenay-val-d’Or, Tauxières, and Mutigny; 50% fermented in old oak barrels; 52% 2019 base vintage; 25% reserve magnums from 2009 Verzenay (the highest proportion of reserve magnums ever used at Bollinger); 23% 2018 reserves (5% Verzenay, 10% Tauxières and 8% in total of Aÿ, Avenay-val-d’Or, Tauxières, and Mutigny; disgorged 10 January 2024; 6g/L dosage; cork; production is one-third that of La Grande Année). PN returns to its Verzenay origins (as per its first iterations as VZ15 and VZ16, followed by TX17 and AYC18). 2019 ranks among the best of Champagne’s recent vintages and the cool, north-eastern slopes of Verzenay uphold compelling tension in the midst of a warming climate. The result is a magnificent juxtaposition between the rumbling, billowing depths of ripe pinot noir like only Bollinger can conjure, thanks to the presence and magnitude of primarily Aÿ and also Avenay-val-d’Or, Tauxières, and Mutigny, and the pristine definition and lifted freshness of vibrant fruit that characterises Verzenay. Boasting a medium straw hue, it wells up with deep black and red cherry fruit, satsuma plum, blackberries and layers of anise and sarsaparilla. Barrel fermentation and a record 25 percent of reserve magnums lend their characteristic creaminess and subtle patisserie complexity, but it is the fine chalk minerality of Verzenay chalk that remains the hero of a long finish, upholding magnificent texture, tension and crystalline brightness like no other pinot village. (2024)”

95 points Tom Hewson (Decanter): "Bollinger continues its quest to highlight its Pinot Noir expertise with arguably the most exciting and focused wine yet in the PN series, focusing on the grand cru village of Verzenay from 2019 (backed up with reserves from all around the Montagne de Reims and Grande Vallée, 25% of which comes directly from magnums). It weaves a beautiful line between the clear, long and ultra-fine Pinot of Verzenay, mineral and understated, the quiet power of the 2019 vintage, and the stunning complexity of reserves. Baked apricot, scorched orange citrus and soft raspberry fruits, with toasty nougat, cocoa and dried pear ageing characters. A striking wine of persistent, tightly packed quality, holding terrific mid-term potential. Drinking Window: 2024-2034. (10/11/24)"

94-95 points Essi Avellan, MW: "(100% Pinot Noir). On the ripe but fresh and harmonious harvest year 2019, Bollinger chose Verzenay as the pillar of its PN cuvée. A warm year needed the freshness from northern facing terroirs, thus 40% of the blend come from the Verzenay, including a hefty 25% of reserve wine magnums from 2009. The rest of the blend is made up by the other Bollinger hallmark crus Aÿ, Avenay-Val d’Or, Tauxières and, for the first time ever, Mutigny. All in all, 2019 represents 52% of the blend with a hefty addition of reserve wines, 48%. The first nose already comes across sweetly expressive with many aromatic assets. The dominant fruit is ripe yellow peach, which the 50% oak fermented wine complements with spicy-mineral nuances, yet very few oxidative tones. If the nose promised ripeness, the palate counterbalances it by its lovely linearity and saline, scintillating nervosity. The warmth of the year can be sensed the textured fleshiness and juicy-fruity power. At the same time the wine projects immaculate precision and length. (May 2024)"

94 points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "The latest rendition of Bollinger's blended blanc de noirs bottling is the NV Brut Blanc de Noirs PN VZ19; it is based on the 2019 vintage, which represents 52% of the blend, and the village of Verzenay, which accounts for the origin of 40% of this bottling's components. 2019 is complemented by fully 48% reserve wines, and above all, fully a quarter derives from 2009; and it has the tension of Verzenay by Aÿ, Avenay-Val-d'Or, Tauxières and Mutigny. If all that sounds complicated, the wine's appeal is easier to see, as it offers up a demonstrative bouquet of yellow stone fruit, mandarin and praline, followed by a medium to full-bodied, pure and pillowy palate that's charming, even giving, but also attractively racy, concluding with a saline finish. It was disgorged with six grams per liter dosage. This doesn't tower above its 2018-base counterpart (perhaps unsurprisingly, as the percentage of reserve wines in this bottling is so high), but it does seem to be marginally the strongest iteration of this cuvée to date. Drink: 2024-2040. (8/15/24)"

94 points Wine Spectator: "[$186 list] There's real drive and focus to this harmonious Champagne, with racy acidity enmeshed in the finely detailed, satinlike mousse and enlivening a lovely range of ripe cherry and cassis fruit and Marcona almond flavors, plus a touch of Gran Marnier liqueur. Delicate notes of spices, white blossoms and graphite linger on the finish. Pinot Noir. Disgorged January 2024. Drink now through 2035. (11/30/24)"

94 points Audrey Frick (JebDunnuck.com): "Something new in the range, the NV Champagne PN VZ19 is 100% Pinot Noir from Verzenay. It’s assertive on opening, with aromas of raspberries, fresh baked bread, black cherries, violets, wet stones, passionfruit, and sweet citrus. It brings forward a good deal of intensity on the palate, with a lot of purity and a distilled feeling, its black cherry fruit gliding through a long finish with a saline flourish. This lovely wine has a lot to offer now but will improve with time and is going have 15 or more years of longevity. There’s a fresh umami feel through this wine. Drink: 2024-2040. (12/20/24)"

94 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The NV (2019) PN VZ is another terrific wine in this new range of Champagnes from Bollinger that is now in its fifth release. Exotic floral and spice notes play off a core of Pinot fruit in this captivating, mid-weight offering. Time in the glass accents the wine's inner sweetness and perfume. Pear, mint, jasmine and white pepper linger. In this release, the (2019) PN VZ is like a mini-Vieilles Vignes Françaises. It's an incredibly racy, sexy Blanc de Noirs. This release is based on 2019, with 50% reserve wines back to 2009. About half of the reserve wines were aged in magnum. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. Drink: 2024-2039. (Mar 2024)"

93+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "Bollinger’s special all pinot noir bottling this year is from the base year of 2019 and is built upon a foundation of fruit sourced from the grand cru village of Verzenay. It includes fully fifty-two percent reserve wines, from the two vintages of 2018 and 2009, which were also warm growing seasons, as was 2019. It was disgorged in March of 2024 and finished with a dosage of six grams per liter. The wine offers up a precise and beautifully complex bouquet of apple, white peach, fresh-baked bread, chalky minerality, dried flowers, incipient smokiness and just a whisper of old oak. On the palate the wine is crisp, still quite tightly-knit, full-bodied, focused and beautifully delineated, with a fine core of fresh fruit, great Verzenay mineral drive and grip, utterly refined mousse, bright acids and superb balance on the long, nascently complex and very classy finish. This is still early days for this beautiful young wine, which will drink with far more generosity five or six years down the line. It is a most impressive young wine! 2027-2055. (Sep/Oct 2024)"