"Before being a great Champagne, Bollinger is first and foremost a great wine". It is undeniable, a Bollinger spirit actually exists. In the wines certainly, but also in Aÿ. The involvement and seriousness of the people involved in the design of these great wines closely contribute to their success. Bollinger is also one of the few rare Champagne houses to have remained as a family since its creation in 1829. The maison was founded by Athanase de Villermont who had inherited the vineyard of Champagne, Joseph Bollinger, a German merchant and Paul Renaudin, a Champenois who was passionate about wine. The Bollinger and Villermont families united their fate at the same time as their profession with Joseph Bollinger's marriage to Louise-Charlotte, Athanase's daughter. Their children would take over the rein. There is a 163-hectare vineyard located, for more than 80%, in grands and premiers crus, and providing over 60% of its needs in grapes. One of the interesting facts about this maison is the preponderance of Pinot Noir which gives great flavour and strength to the champagnes. Another particularity of the maison is that part of the fermented reserve wines in wood is then conserved in magnums, with cork stoppers, for 5 to 12 years before being incorporated into the whole. Finally, on the management side, in September 2007, Ghislain de Mongolfier handed over the reins to Jérôme Philipon who followed in his footsteps while emulating his style. This all went well and there is no doubt that the brand continues to shine in the starry sky of Champagne.

La Grande Année epitomises the essence of Bollinger’s style in its most refined and accomplished form. Powerfully vinous, with intense and complex aromas, this blend of grand and premier crus grapes definitely makes this wine one of the greatest. Structure, power, smoothness, everything is present. The blend predominantly consists of Pinot Noir (60%) – the House’s signature grape variety – and Chardonnay (40%).
As always with Bollinger, exception is the rule and rigour and accuracy prevail: vinification occurs in small old oak casks, carbonation and slow maturation in the cellar are conducted under natural cork (to better preserve the wine from oxidation), followed by maturing on lees at least 6 years (to accentuate the complexity by autolysis). Riddling and disgorgement are both carried out by hand (something that has become rare in Champagne).
Painstaking work gives rise to one of Champagne’s great legends, patiently ageing for nearly 10 years in the house’s cellars before release.