Champagne Bollinger RD 1996 Magnum
Champagne Bollinger R.D. 1996 is a vintage white champagne from Bollinger, produced in Champagne from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and classified as a Grand Cru de Champagne. Disgorged in 2025, it was awarded 18.5++/20 by Jancis Robinson, who advises cellaring it until 2025–2040, and 97/100 by James Suckling. Critics describe a taut and refined cuvée with nuances of yeast, spices, bread, lemon zest, and apricot, featuring a full, layered palate and a persistent finish.
Identité du vin
- Couleur
- Sparkling White
- Pays
- France
- Région
- Champagne
- Producteur / Domaine
- Bollinger
- Cuvée
- R.D.
Cépage et assemblage
- Grape Variety
- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Bollinger
Founded in Aÿ in 1829, Bollinger is a Champagne house that has remained under family control. Its vineyards cover 179 hectares, spread across seven vineyard blocks, 85 per cent of which are classified as grands crus or premiers crus. Pinot Noir predominates here, and the house continues to vinify some of its wines in small oak barrels.
- Owner
- Société Jacques Bollinger (famille Bollinger)
- Surface (ha)
- 179.00 ha
- Production (average bottles per vintage)
- environ 2 500 000 à 3 000 000 bouteilles/an
Histoire du domaine
The company Renaudin-Bollinger & Cie was founded in Aÿ on 6 February 1829 by Athanase de Villermont, Joseph (known as Jacques) Bollinger and Paul Renaudin. Athanase de Villermont contributed the land inherited from his family, whilst Joseph Bollinger took charge of marketing and Paul Renaudin of the cellar. Georges Bollinger, Jacques’s son, subsequently ran the company during the phylloxera crisis and the First World War. On Georges’s death in 1918, his son Jacques took over the management of the business, expanded the facilities and, notably, acquired vineyards in Tauxières. Following Jacques’s death in 1941, his wife Elisabeth Law de Lauriston-Boubers, known as Lily Bollinger, ran the house until 1971, through the war and the subsequent post-war recovery. Under her leadership, Bollinger expanded its international presence and, in 1967, launched the R.D. champagne, standing for ‘Récemment Dégorgé’ (recently disgorged). Claude d’Hautefeuille then took charge of the house from 1971, before Christian Bizot succeeded him in 1978; the latter formalising a charter of ethics and quality in 1992. Ghislain de Montgolfier took over as head of the house in 1994, followed by Jérôme Philipon, who became chairman in 2008 – the first non-family member to hold the position. Charles-Armand de Belenet was appointed managing director of Champagne Bollinger in 2017. The house remains part of the Bollinger Group, a family-owned group which also comprises other houses and estates.
R.D.
Bollinger R.D. is an aged vintage champagne kept on its lees for a long time, then disgorged shortly before being placed on the market and given a low dosage like an extra-brut. The cuvée seeks a contrast between the complex aromas acquired during prolonged aging and the freshness preserved by recent disgorgement. It is crafted from vintages of La Grande Année with exceptional aging potential.
- Origin of the cuvée name
- The initials R.D. stand for "Récemment Dégorgé" (Recently Disgorged), referring to the disgorgement carried out shortly before commercialization.
- Cuvée creation year
- 1967
- Style of the cuvée
- A powerful, vinous, and complex vintage champagne, marked by very long aging on its lees, vinification in wood, a very low dosage, and freshness revived by recent disgorgement.
- Position within the range
- An exceptional cuvée crafted from the vintages of La Grande Année boasting the greatest aging potential.
Histoire de la cuvée
Madame Bollinger experimented with the concept by commercializing a few bottles of "Réserve 1947" in 1963. In 1967, the name Bollinger R.D. was definitively adopted, and three vintages were launched simultaneously depending on the markets: 1952, 1953, and 1955.
