What is late disgorged in champagne?

Answer 1

The term 'late-disgorged' is English for récemment dégorgé, indicating a wine that has been kept on its lees for much longer than usual (up to as much as ten years) between bottling and disgorging. The wine feeds off its lees throughout this time, acquiring great complexity, depth and richness. The sharp intake of oxygen when the wine is finally disgorged (ie the temporary 'bottling cork' is pulled and replaced with a permanent Champagne cork, ready for shipping) adds a welcome note of freshness that highlights the wine's complexity. One of the best known late-disgorged Champagnes is Bollinger RD, first launched in 1963 with the 1952 vintage.


References: An Encyclopedia of The Wines and Domaines of France by Clive Coates MW; also Bollinger, une certaine idée du Champagne by Hervé Saint-Julien