I have drunk this a half dozen times in the last six months and it always amazes me. The Recently Disgorged Bolly is ultra rich with yeast and spice and bread. It's tight and in reserve, but gives lots of lemon rind and apricot character as well. It's full and very racy. Layered palate. An aftertaste that lasts for minutes. What a Champagne.
— jamessuckling.com, June 2016

The 1996 R.D. from Bollinger is another superb wine from this vintage. An expressive bouquet of spices, acacia blossoms and perfumed fruit emerges from the wine's silky-textured frame. This generous R.D. is drinking well today, but also has enough freshness to age well for years. It is a great version of one of Champagne's legendary wines.
— Antonio Galloni (vinous.com, Jan 2009)

Disgorged in 2013, this bottle of Bollinger's 1996 Extra-Brut R. D. vindicates the house's decision to harvest late in this high-acid vintage, as even though the 1996 has a notably low pH of 2.93, the wine also possesses the maturity of fruit to balance it. Bursting with aromas of golden orchard fruit, crème brûlée, espresso roast, spices, warm bread, smoke and honeycomb, with time in the glass hints of dried fruits and marmalade emerge. On the palate, it's full-bodied, layered and vinous, with a textural attack and an ample core of fruit that's complemented by a pearly mousse, concluding with a long, saline, bone-dry finish. This is the best bottle of the 1996 R. D. I've ever encountered.

A monumental R.D., the 70% Pinot Noir here is ageing very slowly in the late-disgorged format. The aromatic palate is almost shockingly youthful. There is still plenty of primary bright apple fruit with the spice and toast of the initial fermentation – the overall impression is lovely, lively, and still fruity, with the more developed notes very discreet. The texture is enlivened by the same super-charged acidity we see in the Grande Année from this year, and the finish is intensely long. Marvellous ageing potential.

(disgorged March 15, 2006) Light gold. Dramatic aromas of ripe peach, pear, mango, musky yellow plum, fig, buttery brioche, toasted nuts and baking spices. Rich, deep and expansive on the palate, with powerful, deeply concentrated flavors of yellow peach, tropical fruit, toasted nuts, sweet butter, toffee and marzipan utterly filling the mouth. An endless parade of toasty, decadent fresh and dried fruits defines the finish, with a gentle but insistent mineral undertone providing focus, freshness and lift. This is a must buy for Bollinger fans.

Disgorged 2012. Absolutely stunning nose – tangerine, truffle, sour cream, lemon sherbet. Has some reductive flinty notes too. A real showstopper, with spice and dairy notes persisting on the finish. Honeyed character too. Stellar. (RH)

Disgorged as long ago as 2007. And a dosage described as ‘très faible’ (very weak). Pale amber. Very lively bead but definitely more than fully mature – a Michael Broadbent sort of champagne ( le goût anglais )? By now it tastes bone dry as the fruit has started to dry out. Lots of acidity. There was fruit when it was served but this bottle dried out a bit in the glass. It was still recognisably Bollinger, though, with its weight and oak influence. (JR)