Champagne Fleury Blanc de Noirs Bolero, France, 2006, 750ml

Made from biodynamically grown Pinot Noir grapes. Aged in stainless steel (50%) and oak barrels (50%). Bottled in December 2007, disgorged in November 2016. 12% alcohol, 2,6 g/l dosage. Tasted blind along with another Champagne and one Oregon sparkling wine.

Medium-deep yellow-green color. Very weird and atypical nose with aromas of sappy birch leaves, bruised apple, some Granny Smith apple tones, a little bit of ginger, light autolytic notes of white bread, a fusel alcohol hint reminiscent of grappa and a touch of something vaguely plastic. The wine is firm, crisp and medium-bodied on the palate with flavors of tart green apples and sweeter golden apples, some savory wood tones, light autolytic notes of white bread, a little bit of slightly waxy funk and bitter hints of pithy lemon and apple peel. The racy acidity lends great intensity and sense of structure to the wine. Small, soft and quite persistent mousse. The finish is crisp, long and acid-driven with lively flavors of tart green apples, some tangy salinity, a little bit of sappy herbal character, light sawdusty notes of wood, a hint of waxy funk and a touch of ripe citrus fruits.

A somewhat weird bottle of Boléro – especially the nose was all over the place and more than one people wondered if somebody had just rinsed their glass with booze due to the odd, slightly grappa-ish note of fusel alcohol. The wine was much cleaner and more classic on the palate, although the woody notes seemed surprisingly unintegrated for a Champagne clocking in at 15 years of age. I can’t say if the odd nose was due to the bottle age or not, so it’s very difficult to say whether the wine had turned weird with age, or if it will improve from here – after all, the taste was surprisingly fresh and youthful for the age. Perhaps the wine was just caught in a slump? At least it was very different from the Boléro 2004 I tasted some years ago. I’d let the wine have some more time to get its game better together.

Forceberry, cellartracker.com, May 2021