CHAMPAGNE BOLLINGER

Bollinger is a truly classic Champagne house and one of the world’s greatest wine producers, renowned for wines that epitomize Champagne’s unparalleled reputation for elegance and refinement. Founded in 1829 in the village of Ay, by 1884 Bollinger had received a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria. Adding to its prestige, 1979 marked the beginning of one of the longest standing relationships in cinematic history; Bollinger has been the exclusive Champagne of James Bond ever since. From 1941 – 1971 the great house was brilliantly managed by the indomitable Elisabeth Bollinger, who famously made one of the greatest pronouncements ever made about Champagne: “I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I am alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and I drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty.” The constant quest for excellence is rooted in the history of Bollinger and is evident in the 5 key principals: The house vineyards, Pinot Noir, magnums of reserve wine, barrels and time. Champagne Bollinger’s 179 hectares of vines are made up of 85% Grand and Premier crus and are farmed by our teams of growers across 7 separate vineyards. Bolliger also owns two very distinctive plots in the village of Aÿ, near the Bollinger Maison; Clos Saint-Jacques and Chaudes Terres, which have never succumbed to phylloxera. Pinot Noir accounts for 60% of the Bollinger vineyards and is the backbone of all the wines. The unusually high proportion of Pinot noir gives the wines power, body and vinosity. Bollinger has the last resident cooper in Champagne and his time is spent maintaining the 4,000 aged barrels, some of which are 100 years old. All the vintage wines are 100% fermented (alcoholic and malolactic) in oak barrels. Part of the reserve wines are kept in magnums and all of those are closed with cork. Bollinger have 800,000 reserve magnums to be used for Special Cuvee and Rosé. The high proportion of reserve wines give the non-vintage a distinctive complexity. All the wines are left on the lees for at least twice as long as stipulated by the Champagne appellation and even longer for the formidable R.D. Sustainability is extremely important to family and people working at Champagne Bollinger. It is rooted in every decision made for the future of their employees, the planet and the local ecosystem. In 2012, Champagne Bollinger was the first wine house in France whose vineyards were certified as ‘High Environmental Value’ (HEV). Two years later, it was also the first to receive the Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne certification. In September 2023, Champagne Bollinger received B Crop certification. “This certification recognises the merit of the daily actions of the Maison and engages all Champagne Bollinger employees in a collective approach to progress.” – Managing Director, Charles-Armand de Belenet

Reviews for this winery

I have tasted an excellent, beautifully fresh, precise and and persistent range of Bollinger Champagne. The Brut Rosé is just fabulous and helps to bridge the time we have to wait for the promising and highly refined 2007 Grande Année Rosé that still needs some years in the bottle to play out its class and complexity. 2007 saw a very early harvest, and the exceptional wines are characterized by freshness and finesse. For the moment, I prefer the very fine, elegant and chalky style of the Grande Année Rosé to the more rich and full-bodied Blanc. I'm also excited to follow the evolution of the 2004 R. D. Extra Brut that was just disgorged in February and combines freshness with maturity but will improve over the years.

Stephan Reinhardt, June 2018

The esteemed Champagne House was evaluated in five key categories: governance, employees, community, environment and customers [...] Champagne Bollinger – which has been James Bond’s favourite bubbly since the release of Live and Let Die in 1973 – is now part of a small, exclusive group of sparkling wine producers that have been recognised for meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

Martin Green, October 2023

One of Champagne's reference points, Bollinger's serious approach to farming, Pinot Noir-dominated style, commitment to barrel fermentation and maturation and superb palette of prime terroirs mark it out as one of the leading Grandes Marques today.

William Kelley, August 2024