Eye - A dress tinged with golden reflections.

Nose - A gourmet nose with aromas of marzipan. Stewed notes such as apricot, honey and breadcrumbs accompany the fresh notes of bergamot.

Mouth - The mouth opens with a rich and precise effervescence. Flavors of mirabelle plum and vine peach complete the citrus notes. A very lively wine that unfolds and shows all its complexity. The saline finish combined with fresh hazelnut gives it a persistent length in the mouth.

The blend of the 2008 vintage is made up of 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay. There are 18 crus, mainly Aÿ and Verzenay for Pinot Noir and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant for Chardonnay. The fermentation is entirely carried out in oak barrels. Bollinger RD is marketed just a few months after its disgorgement with a very low dosage, called “Extra brut”, only 3 grams per litre. This recent disgorgement is the guarantee of the remarkable freshness in the mouth of the wine.

The year 2008 was marked by uncertain weather conditions: cool weather in the spring extending into the summer, then the return of the sun during the harvest. Despite these vagaries of the weather, Maison Bollinger, thanks to its know-how, was able to preserve its vineyards: 2008 thus stood out as an exceptional year, marked by the abundance of Pinot Noir. The wines have developed significant aromas, with lively and powerful Chardonnays and characterful Pinot Noirs with a balanced structure.

Vineyards: 18 Crus - 90% Grand Cru, 10% Premier Cru
Grape Varieties: 71% Pinot Noir & 29% Chardonnay
Lees Ageing: 13 years
Disgorged: 28 October 2022
Dosage: 3 g/l
Drink: Now to 2035+

The perfect match for Scallops with IGP hazelnut from Piedmont.

"When I was tasting Bollinger's brilliant Grande Année in this vintage, I was trying to imagine how good the 2008 Extra-Brut R. D. would be, as the style of the vintage seems almost perfectly adapted to this cuvée. Four years later, we have the answer, and the wine is brilliant. Disgorged in 2022, it's more reserved out of the gates than the dramatic Grande Année was on release, unwinding in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, orange peel, freshly baked bread, subtle hints of fino sherry, wet stones and macadamia nut. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, with a deep core of fruit that's animated by racy acids and a refined pinpoint mousse, concluding with a bone-dry finish. Extremely harmonious and full of youthful energy, it's the finest R. D. of the decade and one that will richly reward a bit of additional age on cork. In style, the most obvious comparison is with the 1996, but the 2008 is more integrated and harmonious on release. These bottles were disgorged late last year with three grams per liter dosage." 
98+ pts William Kelley, Wine Advocate

"This beautifully sparkling 2008 is surprisingly light in colour, but will surely deepen towards more golden tones in the near future a little further from its fresh disgorgement date. The colossal and wonderful scent is of such dignity that words can never do it full justice. If I do try to describe this unique perfume, it is dominated by hazelnut cream from Piedmont, Domori chocolate from Venezuela, madeleine cookies, almond paste, wood sauna, gunpowder, grilled beef, duck liver, honeysuckle, mushroom cream, honey and nougat. It takes a long time in the glass before the fruit appears and at the same time the nutty and grilled aromas tone down a bit. The taste is vibrantly fresh while being rich and grilled nutty. Here, minerality and sea aromas such as iodine and oyster shells show up together with an apricot-like sublime fruitiness. After a fresh attack, my senses are left supremely satisfied with an exemplary long aftertaste of honey."
97pts Richard Juhlin

"2008 is a remarkably slowly ageing vintage, thus it is laudable that Bollinger were able to lengthen RD's lees ageing from 12 to 14 years here. The house shifting to the narrow-necked new bottle shape in 2008 adds an element of interest to this launch from the super hyped harvest year. The layered nose shows cool restraint with sweet patisserie and roasted chestnut over yellow apple, lemon zest and crunchy yellow plum fruit. Over time in the glass the charred, tobacco and nutty notes get enhanced with sweet vanilla, dried apricot and apple compote tones. On the palate the wine is as vigorous and tight as ever, with a linear and racy body leading to a long, super saline finish. Compared to the earlier launched La Grande Année edition of the wine, there is more flesh on the bone, but the wine manages to keep its elegant crystalline transparency. No doubt the record-low 3g/L dosage contributes, as Bollinger wants to stay true to the wine. Many wondered about the short original release of La Grande Année, but Bollinger did wisely to keep back a large number of bottles for release as RD thanks to the wine’s colossal ageing capacity. Even today the wine is structurally super youthful, but aromatics are already beautifully enriched by fine charred, smoky and biscuity complexity. This RD is an age-defying beauty. Bottle disgorged 28.10.2022."
96 pts with potential for 98, Essi Avellan MW