Bollinger La Grande Annee Rose 2018
(Champagne, France) - [VM 95] [WA 95] [DM 95]

About the Winery:
Since 1829, Bollinger has been producing great Champagnes with a powerful, sophisticated and complex style. In 2006, the prestigious French wine magazine La Revue du Vin de France surveyed the most significant group of sommeliers and wine writers to help select the top 50 Champagne Houses. This would be regarded as the flag-bearer for the greatness of Champagne as a unique wine region. Bollinger was selected as the Number #1 House by this group. 

Their dry, toasty style is instantly recognizable, as six generations of the Bollinger family have maintained that trademark style. Bollinger is one of the rare Grande Marque houses to be owned, controlled and managed by the same family since it was founded.

With 399 acres of vineyards situated in the best Grands Crus and Premiers Crus villages, Bollinger relies on its own estate for nearly two-thirds of its grape requirements, including the Pinot Noir that gives its Champagne its distinctive roundness and elegance.

About this Wine:
Grande Annee Rose is an alternative expression of La Grande Annee, transformed by the addition, at blending, of the unique red wine from La Cote aux Enfants. The emblematic single plot of the House, located in Ay, produces still red wine only when the grapes reach perfect ripeness. After vinification in small aged oak barrels and a prolonged ageing on its lees, even today every bottle of La Grande Annee is riddled and disgorged by hand. This reflects all the expertise of the House, able to create a cuvee whose quality is matched only by its rarity.

La Grande Année Rosé 2018 is a blend of 19 crus, mainly from Verzenay, Aÿ, and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ for the 67% Pinot Noir, and Chouilly and Cuis for the 33% Chardonnay. The blend includes 5% red wine from the Côte aux Enfants plot.

Fermentation takes place entirely in oak barrels and maturation occurs under cork, with aging in the cellar lasting more than twice as long as required by the appellation rules. The dosage is moderate, at 7 grams per liter.

Tasting Notes:
To the eye: A delicate pink and salmon hues.
To the nose: The wine gradually reveals its complexity, with successive notes of strawberry and redcurrant emerging, subtly mingled with citrus and vine peach. A hint of mint on opening brings freshness and liveliness.
On the palate: The palate is marked by the crispness of red berries, followed by a juicy character, before closing with an expressive finish, highlighted by citrus and blood orange peel.

Ratings & Reviews

95 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2018 La Grande Année Rosé is open-knit and quite caressing. It offers a bit more up-front fruit than the Blanc, suggesting it will drink well right out of the gate. The addition of 5% still red Pinot from La Côte aux Enfants and slightly higher dosage vis-à-vis the Blanc soften the contours. Cranberry, chalk, mint, white pepper and orange peel fill out the layers nicely. This vibrant, mid-weight Rosé is quite versatile; it will drink well as an aperitif or at the dinner table. The Grand Année Rosé is crafted from the same base as the Blanc. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged: May 2025." – Antonio Galloni (May 2026)

95 Points - Wine Advocate:
"Since its inception in 1976, this cuvée has been anchored in the white rendition of La Grande Année, complemented—this year by 5%—with red wine from La Côte aux Enfants vineyard in Aÿ. Disgorged in May 2025 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, Bollinger’s 2018 La Grande Année Rosé reveals aromas of peach, crisp red apple and blood orange mingled with redcurrant. Medium- to full-bodied, it opens with a textural attack that segues into a muscular palate, where delicate aromatic bitters gradually assert themselves along a sapid, persistent finish. While many wines from this solar vintage display comparatively soft, moderately concentrated profiles, this is not one of them." – Kristaps Karklins (Mar 2026)

95 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Being based on the white blend of Grande Année, one would expect a family resemblance in the rosé. Indeed the vintage's friendly, approachable nature is very much still here, yet even a small red wine addition in the blend (5%) brings an energising, complexing sense of substance and structure which elevates this slightly above the white with its gentle blackcurrant, raspberry and bitter herb intensity over the recognisable sweet stone fruit, blood orange and salty, briny savour of the style. Once again it is less structured and punchy than the 2015, but arguably finer in build, well-set for delicious drinking over the next decade at least." – Tom Hewson (Mar 2026)