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| Wine & Spirits |
Magnum Dreams
Tara Weingarten
07/01/2004
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Bollinger has been producing late disgorged
Champagnes under the Bollinger RD (recently disgorged) label for over a dozen
years. Its current 1990 release has a resplendent nose of brioche and a round,
voluminous yeasty flavor. “RD is for true lovers of Champagne,” says Bollinger’s
President Ghislain de Montgolfier, a descendant of the founder. To be sure, a
growing number of prestige houses are releasing late disgorged bottlings to
satisfy an increasingly sophisticated consumer. Taittinger’s Comte de Champagne,
a Blanc de Blanc comprised of chardonnay grapes, is selling a recently disgorged
1995, about $130, with a deep undertone of baked bread and a subtle
acidity.
Blanc de Blanc aside, some devotees, prefer the complexity,
spice and fragrant nose that accompany the addition of pinot noir to the cuvée,
as found in Dom Pérignon and Dom Pérignon rosé, Krug vintage and rosé sparklers,
Bollinger, Charles Heidseik and Veuve Clicquot rosé, all of which appreciate at about the same level as the Blanc de Blancs.
As an investment,
Remi Krug has a tip for all of us. He covets the astounding 1961 vintage and
laments that his cellar is dry of that heavenly year. “My ’61 was stunning, and
it’s all gone,” he says. “If I want to ever drink it again, I’ll have to buy it
at auction.” Perhaps someone among us is willing to part with an irreplaceable
treasure and put Sotheby’s on speed dial. Additional Information
 Value Judgment
 Must Haves
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