THE CHAMPAGNE CHICK

The beautiful Maison of Champagne Bollinger is situated in the picturesque village Aÿ, a town in the Marne about 5km northeast of Épernay. As a rule the House is closed to the general public, so you need to know someone who knows someone who knows someone else to arrange a visit. And trust me it’s worth pulling a few favours for this.

If there is one champagne quote that almost everyone is familiar with, it has to be Lily Bollinger’s world famous one …

The House of Bollinger certainly needs no introduction and my visit earlier this year in March was the highlight of my trip. We were expertly taken care of by Caroline who enthusiastically shared her vast knowledge of everything Bollinger and everything Champagne, again just reminding me how much I have yet to learn about the nuances and complexities of this fascinating region and its wines.

I think Tyson Stelzer perfecty sums it up in his 2020/2021 Champagne Guide … “The Bollinger house style has long been a love-or-hate champagne and if Bollinger wasn’t your style 10 years ago, come hither.

The firm of Renaudin-Bollinger & Cie was founded on 6 February 1829 between Athanase de Villermont, Joseph Bollinger and Paul Renaudin. Joseph married Louise-Charlotte (daughter of Athanase) in 1827. In time their sons, Joseph and then Georges took over the business. In 1920 at the age of 24, Jacques Bollinger, son of Georges, found himself at the helm of the house.

Jacques married Elizabeth in 1923 and she was just 42 when he died and she had to step up and run the House of Bollinger. She was the driving force behind the highly original Bollinger R.D. cuvée and she was a familiar sight riding her bicycle through the vineyards.

Nicknamed the “Burgundy House”as every Bollinger cuvée boasts a minimum of 60% Pinot Noir. A massive 68% of the grapes come from the estate’s own vineyards. This is a house that makes extensive use of barrels and therefore is the last house in Champagne employing their own in-house full-time cooper.

Champagne Bollinger is the 2nd largest independent house owned and run completely by its family members (the biggest being Louis Roederer).

Bollinger is well-known for its long ageing and their reserve wines are aged under cork as opposed to crown cap, a practice not followed by many. In fact only about 1% of champagne is aged under cork making it a very time-consuming labour of love as champagne aged under cork requires hand riddling and hand disgorgement.

Our cellar visit was followed by a beautiful tasting expertly presented by Caroline, and it included 3 cuvées; Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut, Bollinger Rosé Brut and Bollinger La Grande Année 2012.

Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut
65% Pinot Noir
25% Chardonnay
15% Pinot Meunier
Crafted from more than 300 crus, 15% fermented in oak, spending 3-4 years on the lees with a dosage of 8gr per litre, this cuvée represents roughly 90% of Bollinger’s production.

Champagne Bollinger Rosé Brut
62% Pinot Noir
24% Chardonnay
14% Pinot Meunier
5-6% still red wine
7-8gr dosage per litre, aged 3-4 years on lees

Bollinger La Grande Année 2012
In 1976, Bollinger Vintage was re-named Grande Année and in 1996 it became La Grande Année – “The Great Year”. This vintage is entirely fermented in oak barrels and is produced from 14 crus, 91% Grand Cru and 9% Premier Cru.
65% Pinot Noir
35% Chardonnay
7 years on lees with a dosage of around 8gr per litre.

If you’re in South Africa and want to try these mesmerizing Bollinger cuvées, you should be able to find them at fine wine merchants and premium retailers such as Norman Goodfellows.

This was a very special and memorable visit to an iconic Champagne House that will stay with me for a long time. Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

Pop, Fizz, Clink
Linn
The Champagne Chick
xo