"The Bollinger R.D. Experience: The contrast between a wonderful freshness and
the exceptional aromas of an old vintage."

In the mid-1960s, while most Champagne Houses were developing unusually shaped
bottles, Bollinger decided to concentrate on its signature taste. Although old
vintages were not fashionable in 1967, Madame Bollinger was bold as ever. True
to her pioneering spirit, she had the daring idea of marketing the 1952 vintage
that had recently been disgorged and dosed as an Extra Brut. This was the vision
she championed: the absolute prestige of Bollinger lay in the wine itself, not
in its vessel.
In doing so, Madame Bollinger created a completely original tasting experience:
the aromatic intensity of the finest vintages, contrasted with a wonderful
freshness on the palate. This freshness is due to the natural acidity of the
grapes during harvest, and is underscored by the Extra Brut dosage. It was a
revolution that would have a lasting impact on the Bollinger style, as well as
the world of champagne as a whole. This vintage bore the name of the cuvée for
the very first time. It would be known as Bollinger R.D. and its label was the
first ever to specify a disgorgement date. Bollinger R.D. 2007 now once again
sports all the codes of this legendary label: material, font and date of
disgorging. Authenticity through the years.

"The fruit of an early harvest, beginning on September 1st, Bollinger's superb
2007 R. D. is an unusually delicate, fine-boned rendition of this habitually
muscular cuvée. An additional seven years on the lees has brought additional
textural and amplitude to the acid spine that was already evident in the 2007
Grande Année, and the slight loss of pressure during aging on cork makes for a
more refined, pearly mousse that complements the wine's enhanced texture and
amplified sapid nuance. Fermented in used oak cooperage, with tirage under
natural cork and disgorgement without added sulfur dioxide (but now with jetting
to ensure consistency), it's one of the few tête de cuvée bottlings still made
very much as it was 40 years ago. While I don't tend to comment on packaging,
Bollinger's decision to revive the tasteful aluminum label that graced this
cuvée's debut 1952 rendition, when the redoubtable Madame Lilly Bollinger still
presided over this house, does underscore what is a real and not merely
superficial commitment to artisanal traditions." 97 pts, William Kelley, WA

"Bollinger’s 2007 R.D. is superb, but it is also a wine that reflects the nature
of a unique and challenging growing season. In most vintages the R.D. is marked
by the distinct creaminess and breadth of Aÿ Pinot Noir. Two thousand seven,
though, was a difficult year marked by very dry weather, rain at the end of the
growing season and an early harvest in August, something that was not as common
as it has become. Selection was essential. For the 2007, the blend is composed
of just 14 villages compared to the more typical 18-25. Verzenay is the main
Pinot component while Cramant plays the leading role in the Chardonnays. For
these reasons, the 2007 is an R.D. driven by more focus, energy and tension than
readers are used to seeing. Lemon confit, dried flowers, sage, mint, crushed
rocks, almond and ginger are some of the aromas and flavors that give the 2007
its complex, multi-faceted personality.
The 2007 can be enjoyed now, but I would prefer to cellar it for a few years. It
will age effortlessly for decades as it moves through the various phases of its
life. I was reminded of the way Champagne can magically traverse time by magical
bottles of the 1976 R.D. and 1996 Vieilles Vignes Françaises I tasted recently.
The blend is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, 91% Grand Cru fruit and the rest
Premier Cru. Bollinger fans will notice the return of the original label, with
the disgorgement date clearly visible, a tribute to Madame Bollinger, who was a
pioneer in so many ways. Disgorged: July 10, 2020. Dosage is 3 grams per liter."
97 pts, Antonio Galloni, Vinous

"The latest release of R.D. – Bollinger’s iconic ‘Recently Disgorged or
Récemment Dégorgé’ wine is something completely out of the ordinary. My one-word
description for this sensational wine is ‘controlled’. I say this because what I
adore about every single vintage of R.D. which I have tasted (and there have
been many – see below) is the seeming lack of control in every sip. R.D. should
be and usually is an absurdly decadent and unpredictable wine, firing off
ostentatious flavour and extraordinary detail in every direction. This is why I
love it so much and also why I only open it on very special occasions! What is
remarkable about this particular vintage is its restraint and levity coupled
with the extraordinary length of finish. After 14 years on lees, this wine is as
power-packed and energised as it could possibly be and with the extra edge and
vivacity coming from a fulsome percentage of Verzenay Pinot fruit (29%) added to
the usual heartbeat coming from the Aÿ Pinot core (26%) this is a dynamic red
fruit-dominant cocktail. The overall blend is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay
coming from 14 Crus with 91% Grands Crus in this vintage. The dosage is a keen 3
grams per litre and all disgorgement is done by hand, as usual. But in 2007 the
result is atypical, enchanting, surprisingly refreshing and amazingly delicious.
I opened this bottle at 11.00 am and did not stopper it for a full 12 hours. I
even sneaked half a glass with a chicken curry at supper time and it worked like
a dream. This is not a massive firework of a wine that explodes gloriously and
then is gone. Instead, it is a blazing torch of flavour with phenomenal
persistence and balance and this makes it unmissable in every serious Champagne
lover’s cellar.
ps – The label change is as exciting as the flavour of this stunning wine
because in 2007 Bollinger has reverted to Lily Bollinger’s original 1952 label
design with the disgorgement date engraved on the front as opposed to the back
of the bottle. This makes R.D., once again, one of the most beautiful pieces of
wine label art in the world!" 19+/20 Matthew Jukes (Drink now – 2045)