R.D. 2nd Disgorgement
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed within 5 to 15 years of its late disgorgement date, though its exceptional structure allows it to cellar even longer.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Roasted milk-fed veal, aged Comté cheese, and wild mushroom risotto.
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Bollinger R.D. (Récemment Dégorgé) is one of Champagne's most legendary creations, born from the visionary mind of Madame Lily Bollinger in the mid-20th century. Introduced to the world in 1967, the R.D. concept revolutionized the region by offering an old vintage that had been aged on its lees for an exceptionally long period and disgorged just prior to release. This rare late disgorgement represents an even more exclusive tier, where select library stocks are held further in the Bollinger cellars to undergo a second, later disgorgement. Composed primarily of Pinot Noir sourced from Grand and Premier Crus, supplemented by Chardonnay, the wine is fermented entirely in old oak casks. This meticulous process yields a Champagne of extraordinary complexity, balancing the deep, tertiary notes of extended autolysis—like toasted brioche, hazelnut, and dried honey—with an astonishing, vibrant freshness preserved by the late disgorgement and a very low Extra Brut dosage.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Founded in 1829 in the historic village of Aÿ by Jacques Bollinger, Paul Renaudin, and Hennequin de Villermont, Champagne Bollinger is one of the region's most prestigious and fiercely independent family-owned houses. Renowned for its Pinot Noir-dominated blends and traditional production methods, Bollinger uniquely ferments its vintage wines in seasoned oak casks and maintains an extensive library of reserve wines aged in magnums under cork. The house's signature style is defined by its rich complexity, structure, and depth, best exemplified by legendary cuvées like Special Cuvée, La Grande Année, and the late-disgorged R.D. Additionally, Bollinger preserves a rare piece of viticultural history with its ungrafted, pre-phylloxera Pinot Noir vines used to produce the ultra-exclusive Vieilles Vignes Françaises.