PN AYC18
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2035
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted poultry such as capon or guinea fowl, slow-cured Iberico ham, and rich seafood dishes like seared scallops or turbot in a light butter sauce.
✨ Technical Specifications
Bollinger's PN AYC18 is a remarkable testament to the house's historic mastery of Pinot Noir, a grape that has defined the Bollinger style since its founding in Ay in 1829. This specific cuvée, part of the acclaimed PN series designed to explore the unique terroirs of Champagne, shines a spotlight on the Grand Cru village of Ay, using the 2018 vintage as its foundation. Crafted entirely from Pinot Noir, the blend incorporates older reserve wines, some of which are aged in magnums under cork in Bollinger's deep, chalky cellars to preserve freshness and complexity. Fermented partially in oak barrels, this Blanc de Noirs captures the powerful, structured, and deeply aromatic character of Ay's sun-drenched, chalk-rich slopes, offering a rich tapestry of stone fruits, toasted brioche, and a signature mineral precision.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1829 in Aÿ by Hennequin de Villermont, Paul Renaudin, and Jacques Bollinger, Maison Bollinger endures as one of Champagne's preeminent independent, family-owned Grandes Marques. Its identity was indelibly forged under the visionary stewardship of Madame Lily Bollinger in the mid-twentieth century. The estate controls approximately 180 hectares of vineyards, dominated by Grand and Premier Cru parcels across the Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne, rooted in deep Belemnite chalk and limestone. Bollinger is celebrated for its Pinot Noir-centric architectural style, championing vinification in seasoned oak barrels, magnum reserve aging under natural cork, and extensive cellar maturation before disgorgement. The portfolio is epitomized by Special Cuvée and La Grande Année, reaching transcendental complexity in R.D. (Récemment Dégorgé) and the elusive Vieilles Vignes Françaises, produced from ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines trained en foule.
🍇 Grapes
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier