Bollinger La Côte aux Enfants Champagne 2013
A golden-yellow colour. The nose combines menthol notes and ripe fruit with acacia honey and citrus. The palate is lively and complex, sustained by a lovely acidity: yellow lemon, ripe fruit, a touch of curry, buttery notes, then candied red fruits. Serve between 8 and 10°C; the house recommends…
ALL CHAMPAGNES FROM BOLLINGERThe expert verdict
The structure of this champagne
TASTING NOTES
A golden-yellow colour. The nose combines menthol notes and ripe fruit with acacia honey and citrus. The palate is lively and complex, sustained by a lovely acidity: yellow lemon, ripe fruit, a touch of curry, buttery notes, then candied red fruits. Serve between 8 and 10°C; the house recommends enjoying it now or allowing it to age further in the cellar.
The composition
Terroirs
La Côte aux Enfants is a 4-hectare plot on a limestone hillside on the edge of Aÿ, a grand cru village. More than fifty owners shared it until Jacques Bollinger patiently reunited it between 1926 and 1934. The slope reaches 39%, and the clay-limestone soil is only around thirty centimetres deep. One half of the plot, on the south-facing slope, produces the house's red wine; this champagne comes from the other half, the north-west-facing slope. Herbicides have been abandoned there, and an Ardennes draught horse works the soil. The pinot noir ferments entirely in old oak barrels, develops its bubbles under cork, and ages in the cellar for more than twice the duration required by the appellation. Vintage 2013: a rainy spring followed by the sunniest summer ever recorded in Champagne. Dosage 4 g/L, 12.5% vol.
About this house
Founded in Aÿ in 1829, Bollinger has remained a family-owned, independent house. It ferments its wines in oak barrels, keeps its reserve wines in magnums under cork, and leaves its cuvées in the cellar for far longer than the appellation requires: this is where the wine's rich character comes from.
La Côte aux Enfants is the house's first single-vineyard cuvée. The same hillside also produces a red wine, on its south-facing slope; the champagne reveals the other side, the north-west-facing slope, which the house calls "the hidden face of La Côte aux Enfants". It is pure Aÿ pinot noir, vinified as a white wine and barely dosed.
The perfect pairing
Aperitif
The rich character of the Aÿ pinot noir stands up to the richness of the ham, and its citrusy liveliness cleanses its saltiness.
Starter
The buttery notes and touch of curry in the wine complement the sweetness of the pumpkin, and its liveliness enhances the scallops.
Main course
A refined, rich dish for a dense wine: the candied red fruits and acidity of the 2013 accompany the veal sweetbreads without overpowering them.
Other champagnes
from Maison Bollinger
Wine information
- Appellation
- Champagne
- Volume
- 75 cl
- Allergens
- Contains sulphites
L'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé, à consommer avec modération.
Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Consume in moderation.
