Bollinger Champagne House
ESTABLISHED
OWNERSHIP
PRIMARY ADDRESS / Cellar Door
Bollinger has always been considered the ‘man’s’ Champagne due to its history with the James Bond films and its full-bodied, stronger, oaked flavour. We always find, preferential red wine drinkers will favour Bollinger out of a line up and for this reason we use it as a starting point for their Champagne journey.
Behind the house is an exceptional quality control process which means you will be hard-pressed to find a bad bottle. The formidable vintages lines of La Grande Annee and RD are highly prized, 100% fermented in barrels, with a price tag to match.
FRUIT SOURCED FROM
60% of all grapes used come from roughly 164 hectares of estate-owned vineyards around Ay. The rest is sourced from different growers around Marne, Au, Mareuil-sur-Ay, Verzy, Verzenay, Louvois.
CHEF DE CAVE
Gilles Descotes
FAMOUS FOR
Bollinger’s association with the James Bond franchise has been enduring and the Queen of England is also partial to the odd premium bottle or two.
GENERAL WINEMAKING PROCESS
Oak barrel fermentation is a hallmark of this house although some stainless steel tank fermentation is used also under a temperature controlled process. A long ageing process (3 years on lees for NV and 8+ for Grande Annee) also gives added depth and bubble finesse. Strict, modern processes limit oxidisation and provide impeccable consistency to all their wines whether it is their pressing facility, disgorgement process, oak barrel cleanliness, malolactic fermentation process or their cork quality control.
GENERAL WINEMAKING STYLE
Full flavoured, pinot dominant, oaked, bold and strong.
PRODUCTION PER YEAR
Estimated annual production of 2.5 million bottles a year. Making it the second largest production by a privately owned house.
INTERESTING FACT
The bottle shape was redesigned in 2012 to reflect an old 1846 bottle that was found in the cellar. This bottle’s neck was narrower, the base was wider and the bottle more curvaceous.
Apply
TO JOIN THE CHAMPAGNE SOCIETY