Bollinger Special Cuvee Non Vintage Champagne | 75 cl

Product Information

During a visit to the house of Bollinger in Aÿ last year, we explored champagnes from some of the region's hottest ever vintages, dating as far back as 1947.

Aromatic, with accents of bread dough, smoked almond and crÔme de cassis, this creamy Champagne is lightly chalky in texture and framed by firm acidity, with flavors of glazed apricot, orange blossom and rich hints of clover honey and coffee liqueur. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a generous core of fruit, lively acids and a pillowy mousse, it's seamless and complete, concluding with an expansive finish. Had the privilege of a Bolli tour in Äy, and can appreciate why this is both better and costs more than many NV champagnes. The natural, unassuming charm of the House continues with Cellar Master Gilles Descôtes, the grandson of a Champagne grower who has been amongst the vines from an early age.

He is custodian of the five labyrinthine kilometres of cellars that run under Aÿ, permeated by the scent of fermented fruit, old wood and earth. This is a complex and elegant Champagne with a wonderful combination of velvety bubbles and flavours of pear, brioche, spice and fresh walnuts. We visited the house in Aÿ to taste the base wines and also tasted some of the rarer grape varieties, such as Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Gris. The remainder of the non-vintage reserve wine content comes from tanks, which are kept for a maximum of four years. During the check out process you will be asked to confirm that you are of legal age to purchase any age-restricted products.

There are only two types of blends produced, both pinot noir-dominated: the non-vintage Special Cuvée is the expression of the Bollinger house style, while the vintage-dated Grande Année, produced only in exceptional years, is designed to express the inherent character of the vintage. silky bubbles rise releasing flavours of apple, pear, fresh bread or brioche and spicy aromas with notes of crushed walnuts. of the harvest is barrel-fermented with the wines being kept on their yeast lees for an extended period of time (in the case of the RD, around 10 years). The wines of Bollinger are always rich and distinctive in style, fine ambassadors of a house that continues to build its reputation on classic, complex Champagnes with the ability to age gracefully. The Bollinger family made an interesting move in 2008 by appointing a non family member Jérôme Philipon as chairman.In 2012 it was certified HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE (HEV) this certification rewards a number of environmental procedures implemented at the Champagne Bollinger vineyard, such as the large-scale reduction in the use of vine protection products, the implementation of organic pesticide treatments across the entire vineyard, energy recovery from pruning waste, the application of experimental organic farming on a section of the vineyard, and the numerous other actions carried out to protect biodiversity and embellish the vineyard. In 1911, Georges Bollinger’s British agent gave him the idea for the name Special Cuvée - “special” written the English way, without an accent. We tasted the results of some exciting trials they are conducting with the rarer grape varieties Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Gris. A subtle combination of structure, length and vivacity; bubbles like velvet; pear, brioche and spicy aromas, notes of fresh walnut. Shortly after the 2018 harvest, Bollinger Chef de Cave Gilles Descôtes declared that "2017 was the worst harvest of my life and 2018 is the best".

The House vineyards represent more than 170 hectares with a majority of Grands Crus and Premiers Crus, 60% of them are the property of Bollinger, quite a rare fact in Champagne. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. On the palate, a subtle combination of structure, length and vivacity, bubbles like velvet with pear, brioche and spicy aromas.The style owes much to fermentation of the wine in oak barrels which is unusual in the Champagne region.