Bollinger Special Cuvee Non Vintage Champagne | 75 cl

Product Information

The most significant period of its history was from 1941 to 1977, the tenure of Madame“Lilly” Bollinger, who expanded production significantly and was ahead of her time in travelling the world to promote the brand. Around this time Bollinger also acquired some of its precious pinot noir vineyards, using the grapes in the production of its two rosés. Of the big names, Bollinger’s poise between richness and elegance is both classy and captivating. Top vineyards along with canny winemaking blended into every bottle. Special Cuvée begins with a rich frothy mousse, which lazily settles into a lively perlage to highlight its rich mid-gold hue. Brut denotes a dry style of Champagne (less than 15 grams per litre). Most Champagne is non-vintage, produced from a blend from different years. The non-vintage blend is always based predominately on wines made from the current harvest, enriched with aged wines (their proportion and age varies by brand) from earlier harvests, which impart an additional level of complexity to the end wine. Champagnes from a single vintage are labelled with the year reference and with the description Millésimé. pinot noir, 25% chardonnay, 15% meunier sourced from more than 300 crus, including 85% grands and premiers crus, fermented in old oak barrels. The complexity and richness of Special Cuvée is unparalleled among the entry non-vintage blends of every Champagne house, short of ascending to the mesosphere of Krug. Its grand recipe explains why, built on incredible depth of 50-60% reserves. Triumphant complexity is a given at Bollinger, but it's the dynamic freshness and vitality that really set it apart as one of the most affordable Champagne benchmarks.

Then moving into the heart, the apple and pear accord basically turned into a sort of baked apple as we noticed in the second nose earlier. There’s also a hint of butter, which is probably derived from the baked apple itself. This is quite oily on the tongue. of vineyards in Champagne are planted with Chardonnay and it performs best on the Côtes des Blancs and on the chalk slopes south of Epernay. It is relatively simple to grow, although it buds early and thus is susceptible to spring frosts. It produces lighter, fresher wines than those from Burgundy and gives finesse, fruit and elegance to the final blend. It is the sole grape in Blancs de Blancs, which are some of the richest long-lived Champagnes produced. Finally, if you’re a cigar smoker consider a light or mild tobacco blend. I personally would consider something like a Plasencia Reserva Original. Alternatively, a Davidoff No. 2 would be a classic choice. Personally, I enjoyed the bottle that was reviewed with homemade pizzas. Red wine tends to clash with tomatoes but since Champagne is derived from red grapes without the tannins, it’s a good compromise. However, you could also consider fish, pasta, pastries, shellfish, and white meat. When looking for champagne specifically, you’ll usually be choosing between cuvée, brut or rosé champagne. Though the latter is somewhat self-explanatory, cuvée is referring to the first pressed or most desirable grape juice in the production and can often denote higher quality. Brut is more common in sparkling wines and contains less residual sugar. How should champagne be served?

Renowned for consistently fantastic quality, Bollinger Special Cuvée is an elegant champagne that is sure to make your evening special. This champagne house has been refining their techniques since 1829, using the unique chalky soil of their vineyards to produce high quality Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Known affectionately in the UK as "Bolly", this brand has become a firm favourite and is sure to bring a touch of class to every occasion. The Gift of Good Taste

But there’s more to it than that. Champagne also gets its name from the grapes used in production, most commonly including pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay at a 2:3 ratio (though variations such as blanc de blancs are made entirely from white grapes). It gets its sparkle from being twice fermented in the bottle via a technical and labour-intensive practice often referred to as méthode traditionnelle. What are the flavours of champagne? Bollinger is renowned for its stringent quality standards. It adheres to traditional methods, including individual vinification of each marc and cru, barrel fermentation (it is the last Champagne house to employ a full-time cooper) and extra-aging on the lees prior to disgorgement. With 399 acres of vineyards situated in the best Grands Crus and Premiers Crus villages, Bollinger relies on its own estate for nearly two-thirds of its grape requirements, including the Pinot Noir that gives its Champagne its distinctive roundness and elegance. Bollinger is one of a select few houses that can control the quality of its grape supply so carefully. Please note, whilst the majority of parcels sent on this service are received next day, this is not guaranteed.

Overview Of Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée

You do notice a change in the texture, as well as a hint of hazelnut. You could basically compare the heart to a tart apple crumble. of the harvest is fermented in oak barrels, making the finished wines well-suited to extended ageing and contributing body and depth of flavour. 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. R.D (Recently Disgorged) is the same blend as Grande Année, kept on its lees and disgorged much later.

Champagne Bollinger owns an impressive 178 hectares of vineyards, of which 85% are in Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages. Their land is spread over seven main villages: Aÿ, Avenay, Louvois, Tauxières and Verzenay planted with Pinot Noir; Cuis with Chardonnay; and Champvoisy with Meunier. Bollinger are one of the few Houses to produce the majority of their own grapes for their blends. Pinot Noir represents 60% of the House's vineyards and defines the House style: complex and powerful with remarkable structure. In 2012 Champagne Bollinger was certified High Environment Value (HEV) this certification rewards a number of environmental procedures implemented at the Maison. The texture is not light. It’s going to be quite balanced, but you’re not yet on the velvety side of very mature champagne. This has been aged indeed for about 30 months, so less than three years in ageing overall. Pinot Noir accounts for nearly 40% of the plantings in Champagne and lies at the heart of most blends - it gives Champagne its body, structure, strength and grip. It is planted across Champagne and particularly so in the southern Aube district. As for the occasion, Bollinger is very versatile champagne that you can drink for a variety of occasions. It’s going to be more champagne that you would accompany with a meal or as a starter. This isn’t something that I would consider really as just an apéritif. First of all, you may notice that even a single sip makes you salivate and struggle to speak. That’s because of its very high acidity. Indeed, Bollinger Cuvée Special is meant to be one of the most dry and acidic of the major French champagne house flagship cuvées.

How should champagne be served?

Therefore, if you prefer them sweet, this is definitely not for you. It’s also very yeasty and it delivers a rich intensity and flavour just like on the nose. Unusually for a Champagne house, Bollinger have been grape growers as well as producers from the beginning. The house charter states that 70% of grape supply must always come from the firm’s own vineyards, defining the standards of excellence that are synonymous with the Bollinger name. The House owns an impressive 178 hectares of vineyards, of which 85% are Grand Cru and Premier Cru vines. Their land is spread over seven main vineyards: Aÿ, Avenay, Louvois, Tauxières and Verzenay planted with Pinot Noir; Cuis with Chardonnay; and Champvoisy with Meunier. Bollinger are one of the few Houses to produce the majority of their own grapes for their blends. Pinot Noir represents 60% of the House's vineyards and defines the House style: complex and powerful with remarkable structure. 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.

Bolly is one of the most arresting of all Champagnes because the wines are fermented in oak barrels, giving the flavour an extra dimension of power and nobility.There are going to be some notes that you will taste later on, although it seems to be quite coy at this stage. As for the cork, the cork hasn’t retained its original shape. It hasn’t puffed out as you would want from a high-quality cork. That being said, it has been sitting probably in this bottle for quite a while. Then again, they’re also rested for three months after they’ve been corked. Created under strict conditions in the Champagne region of France, Bollinger Special Cuvée's unique taste is the result of blending freshly harvested grapes with reserve wines to achieve the familiar, Pinot-strong mix. It features fruity undertones with a rich velvety texture. The nose has hints of brioche, with undertones of fig and spice. This is a dry, rather than sweet, champagne. The complexity of the taste can be attributed to the age of reserve wines, often up to fifteen years old, which create the multifaceted taste at the heart of the Special Cuvée. The champagne is fermented in oak barrels, which also contribute to the unique taste. The wine pairs well with fish and other seafood, though will generally complement most cuisine. Top Bottles at Low Prices