Bollinger PN TX 17 Base Vintage 2017

The wine is almost completely dominated by the extremely exciting and rare Tauxières Premier Cru, which is one of two villages classified 99% on the Grand Cru scale. Despite an impressive vineyard area of 237 hectares, it is extremely rare to come across champagnes dominated by this fantastic Cru. A cooler microclimate and a thinner soil layer with even more compact chalk than sunny Bouzy make the wines from here lighter and more elegant than Bouzy but stronger than Verzenay which is also part of this exciting Blanc de Noirs with predominantly base from 2017. Here is also a small splash of Avenay to give a little buttery roundness to the cuvée with its low dosage of 4 grams. The reserve wines that always come from magnum bottles under low pressure make up 48% from three vintages in 2016, 2009 and 2006. In total, half of the wine is made in oak barrels and the other half in steel tanks. The result is very beautiful and personal. The scent has features of lead pencil, juniper and freshly lacquered boat together with more classic coffee notes, rose petals, apricot and peach. The taste is vivid and multifaceted with a lively precision, lighter fruit aromas than you normally find in Bollinger's wines. Even cassis is one of the more unexpected aromas in this finely tuned complex symphony. Very impressive and exciting champagne that really makes me want to taste more and that I will look out for to my private cellar.

Pale straw colour with a lively mousse. The nose shows lightly toasted brioche, ripe white strawberry, baked red apples and a hint of cream - it is youthful and vibrant yet layered at the same time. The palate offers a generous and lightly creamy mousse set against bright, lively acidity. The same baked red apple tones shine through in fruit, but the notes of raw bread dough and sourdough crust build through the mid-palate. Hints of red fruit - as expected from a Blanc de Noirs - shine on the back end, as this wine shows clever interplay between fresh fruit and autolytic maturity. Long and moreish on the finish, this is a very succesful rendition on the new "PN" style Bollinger wines.

A tender nose shows of a sense of fresh, sweet cream and crushed berry – unusually with a hint of blueberry, followed by Red Delicious apple and a beautifully lifted and aromatic note of tangerine. The palate is sinuous and elegant, there is wonderful depth of fruit and that lovely signature creaminess of Bollinger expressed in superfine foam. There is subtle length that only emphasises the depth of flavour. Very elegant, very expressive, as vivid, energetic and vibrant as the previous releases under this series. Lovely.