Bollinger R.D. 2008
'One of the greatest achievements of the vintage' and below release price'
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
William Kelley, robertparker.com, March 2023
Bollinger R.D. 2008
£515 per 3 bottle case in bond
'One of the greatest achievements of the vintage' Kristaps Karklins, (March 2026)
When Kristaps Karklins writes those words in his recent review, they should be heeded. Karklins has tasted a vast number of 2008 vintage Champagne, many on multiple occasions, so the statement isn’t some early throw-away comment. It has context. It is a bold statement given just how widely 2008 is regarded in both Champagne and the market. Simply put, it is considered one of the very finest vintages in a very long time, with the potential to exceed both 1996 and 2002, as well as 1990 and 1988. Indeed, most critics place the quality of 2008 well ahead.
Considering context, there are few Champagnes that combine pedigree, longevity and current value quite like Bollinger R.D. 2008.
The initials R.D. stand for Récemment Dégorgé or 'Recently Disgorged'. First conceived by Madame Bollinger in 1967, the concept is deceptively simple: a vintage Champagne is left on its lees for an exceptionally long period before disgorgement, preserving freshness while building extraordinary complexity. The result is a wine that combines the energy of a recent release with the profundity of a mature Champagne.
Importantly, not every vintage is suited to the R.D. treatment. Extended lees ageing demands a wine of exceptional structure and balance. The taut acidity, formidable concentration and remarkable precision of the 2008 vintage make it one of the most naturally suited candidates Bollinger could hope for. Few vintages possess the constitution to spend so long on their lees and emerge with such freshness, definition and poise.
The 2008 R.D. was first released at around £600 per 3 bottle case in bond, attracting considerable attention and significant trading activity on Liv-ex. Like most of the fine wine market, however, Champagne became caught up in the subsequent correction. Hype faded, prices weakened and even established blue-chip names failed to escape the broader downturn.
Today, somewhat remarkably, one of the most highly regarded Champagnes of the vintage can be purchased below its original release price.
That anomaly looks increasingly interesting. The Liv-ex Champagne 50 Index is currently up 3.1% year-to-date, making it the strongest-performing of the principal Liv-ex sub-indices. While it is too early to call a full recovery, Champagne has undoubtedly shown more resilience during 2026 than many expected.
From a collector's perspective, this feels like one of those rare moments when quality, maturity and market opportunity align.
The first major reviews arrived shortly after release. Antonio Galloni admired the wine enormously, but suggested patience would be rewarded. More recent assessments indicate that the wine has become increasingly harmonious and expressive, lending further support to the view that 2008 possesses exactly the structure required for Bollinger's long-ageing philosophy. Please see the reviews below, starting with the earliest and ending with the most recent.
Bollinger R.D. 2008
£515 per 3 bottle case in bond
Galloni's note is particularly revealing. This is clearly a wine of enormous potential, but his assessment suggests a Champagne whose finest years still lay ahead. Powerful, complex and deeply structured, yet not fully assembled at the time of tasting.
96 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous (November 2023)
Bollinger's 2008 R.D. is a powerful, vinous Champagne. Apricot, dried pear, tangerine oil, hazelnut, dried flowers, chamomile and brioche all race across the palate. The 2008 boasts notable depth and textural intensity, with a feeling of phenolic, almost tannin-driven grip from the Pinot that propels the finish. At times the R.D. is quite exotic, even if there is a good kick of energy from the bright, salivating acids and low dosage. The 2008 R.D. is very much a Champagne for the dinner table, a wine that benefits immensely from aeration. In 2008, the blend comprises fruit from 18 villages, 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay. Dosage is 3 grams per litre. I would give this a few more years in bottle to fully come together. Drink 2025-2043
Kelley was already hugely impressed, describing the wine as the finest R.D. of the decade and drawing comparisons with the legendary 1996. Yet even he emphasised that further bottle age would be rewarded.
98+ points, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (March 2023)
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. Drink 2025-2045
More recent commentary from Karklins appears to confirm the point on evolution.
98 points, Kristaps Karklins, The Wine Advocate (March 2026)
Disgorged in October 2024 with a dosage of three grams per litre, the 2008 Extra-Brut R.D. is superb, offering a bouquet of Granny Smith apple, pomelo and almond paste, mingled with white sandwich bread and oystershell. The medium- to full-bodied palate reveals a deep, vibrant core of fruit, underpinned by racy acidity and framed by high levels of structuring dry extract that assert themselves on the sapid, precise finish. This is a brilliant wine, built to age gracefully on its acidity, and it stands as one of the greatest achievements of the vintage. Its lower dosage, to my palate, also gives it the edge over La Grande Année in terms of energy and aromatic definition. Drink 2025-2050
That final observation is striking. To describe any wine as 'one of the greatest achievements of the vintage' carries particular weight when discussing 2008, arguably the finest Champagne vintage since 1988 and one that has produced extraordinary wines across the region. It also touches on a broader question that collectors increasingly ask themselves. Modern Champagne vintages are frequently warmer, with higher alcohol levels and lower acidity than those of previous generations. While many are undeniably impressive, it remains an open question whether they will deliver the same combination of precision, tension and longevity that defines the greatest traditional vintages.
The 2008 vintage sits firmly in that latter camp. It belongs to a generation shaped by exceptional natural acidity, moderate alcohol, and remarkable definition. Whether today's warmer vintages will ultimately display the same degree of longevity remains to be seen. For many collectors, that uncertainty helps explain why 2008 remains one of the most sought-after Champagne vintages of the last quarter century. The structure of the vintage also explains why the R.D. concept works so brilliantly here. Long lees ageing can produce extraordinary complexity, but it requires a wine with sufficient tension and backbone to support the process. In lesser vintages, the result can become broad or overly evolved. In 2008, however, the combination of concentration, acidity and precision provides the perfect framework, allowing the wine to develop remarkable layers of toasted pastry, roasted nuts, citrus peel, saline minerality and savoury depth while retaining an almost youthful freshness. For collectors, this is exactly the sort of wine worth quietly squirrelling away in the cellar for another decade or more.
At £515 per 3 bottle case in bond, and trading below its original release price, Bollinger R.D. 2008 looks increasingly difficult to ignore. A great wine, from a great vintage, benefiting from one of Champagne's most distinctive ageing regimes and available at a discount to release price. In today's market, opportunities like that are slowly but surely becoming increasingly hard to find.
Please let us know of your interest.
Simon
simon.larkin@atlasfinewines.com