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Bollinger

Bollinger came to Champagne in 1822 when Jacques Joseph Bollinger, a German originating from Württemberg, took up a post in the region sourcing Champagne for shipping back to the Netherlands, Bavaria, Hanover and Württemberg. Germany had a voracious appetite for Champagne, and as a consequence many of its nationals were living and working in the region; notables included Johann-Josef Krug who went on to form his own house, the Heidsiecks who created their house which is now split into three arms, including Charles Heidsieck, Edouard Werle, partner to the Veuve Clicquot, and many more. In 1829 Bollinger joined forces with a work colleague Paul Renaudin and the Comte de Villermont to form Renaudin Bollinger. Subsequently Bollinger married the Comte's daughter, Charlotte de Villermont, and their children went on to manage the family business. Paul Renardin died without an heir, although it was over a hundred years on from the formation of the house before his name disappeared from the labels.

Lily Bollinger:

"I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad.
Sometimes I drink it when I'm 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."

Georges Bollinger took control, subsequently handing the business on to his son Jacques in 1918. Jacques married Elizabeth Law de Lauriston Boubers who, most sensibly, went by the name of Lily. It was Lily who took the reins when Jacques died in 1941, successfully managing the business and continuing the acquisition of vineyards started by her forebears; she is also well known as the origin as one of the most famous Champagne quotes (right) in existence. After Lily the house continued with the Bollinger descendants until the early 21st Century. In 1994 Ghislain de Montgolfier, the great-great-grandson of founder Jacques Joseph Bollinger, took control, and under him there was continued success, marked by the acquisition of neighbouring Champagne Ayala by Bollinger in 2005. Montgolfier continued to hold the reins until 2008 when for the first time the position of managing director passed outside the Bollinger family. The new man in charge will be Jérôme Philipon, a graduate of Essec Business School in Paris who has a strong background in food and agriculture, having worked for the Coca Cola Company for nine years, as well as the Nestlé Group. Ghislain de Montgolfier, meanwhile, leaves to concentrate on his role as president of the Union des Maisons de Champagne, a local trade organisation, which he has taken up following the completion of his term as head of the Association Viticole Champenoise.

Bollinger Champagne Since 1971 management of the 152 hectares of vineyards has been down to Jacques Bouzy (on the right), and since 1989 taking control in the cellar is chef de cave Gerard Liot (to the left). The estate sources two-thirds of its requirements from its own vineyards, which are dominated by Pinot Noir, clone 386 in particular. At harvest the grapes are sorted before pressing with only the first pressing used, unless the vintage is unusually fine when the second Chardonnay pressing may also be incorporated into the final wines. Fermentations are performed in small aliquots according to origin and obviously variety, using small oak barrels for the vintage wine and a mixture of oak and stainless steel tanks for the non-vintage blend.

The two most commonly found Bollinger wines are the vintage Grande Année and the non-vintage Special Cuvée. The latter includes up to 10% of reserve wines which may have been fermented in oak, and spends three years on its lees. As a consequence it is often one of the more complex, structured NV wines on the market and is said to withstand several years of bottle age following release - see below for more details on this. The Grande Année (also available as a rosé) sees five years on its lees and is aged under cork rather than crown seal (the latter practice being the norm for much of Champagne), as is the first special cuvée worth mentioning which is the RD (récemment dégorgé) which sees eight years on its lees before disgorgement. Which brings us neatly to a big problem at Bollinger; date of disgorgement. Bollinger's policy has always been to disgorge as Champagne was ordered, rather than disgorging based on an assessment of the wine. Because date of disgorgement has such an effect on the wine - a comparison of Bollinger's RD with the Grand Année from the same vintage is proof enough of this - the result of Bollinger's practices is a myriad of bottles all labelled the same but all potentially tasting quite different. Quality oriented producers of red wine all over France gave up staged bottling years ago, and it is time for Bollinger to bite the bullet and do the same for disgorgement.

Bollinger Champagne Finally, I should mention Bollinger's Vieille Vignes Françaises. This might be regarded as Bollinger's prestige cuvée, although whereas as most houses produce such a wine by severe selection, this cuvée is different; it is a blanc de noirs made in tiny quantities from three small plots of ungrafted vines planted at a remarkable 30000 plants/ha. These lieux dits are Clos St-Jacques in Aÿ-Champagne, another clos called Chaudes Terres also in Aÿ-Champagne and Croix Rouge in Bouzy. The total area under vine for Vieilles Vignes Françaises is just half a hectare. The price tag is suitably high, which accounts for why I haven't tasted a bottle.

The tasting notes below include opinions of both the Grande Année and Special Cuvée. The predilection of tasting notes for the latter stems from an experiment, drinking the non-vintage cuvée at irregular intervals over a prolonged period of time to assess this cuvées ageability, something I've also done in the past with Taittinger. Many NV cuvées are released before they are at their best due to financial pressures, and benefit from bottle age. I've written about ageing non-vintage Champagne before. (21/10/04, last updated 11/1/08)

Contact details:
Address: rue Jules Lobet, BP 4, 51160 Aÿ
Telephone: +33 (0) 3 26 53 33 66
Fax: +33 (0) 3 26 54 85 59
Internet: www.champagne-bollinger.fr

Bollinger - Tasting Notes

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1999

Bollinger Grande Année 1999: Another wine which seems a little closed down today, although it has some appealing notes of smoke, blackcurrant leaf and honey. Pervasive presence on the palate, although with very primary flavours. Creamy depth. Bright. Very acidic, with a fine mousse. This undoubtedly has good potential. From the 2007 Champagne Information Bureau Tasting. 16.5+/20 (March 2007)

Bollinger Grande Année Rosé 1999: A peachy, salmon pink hue. Really expressive nose, very open and obvious aromas of sweet, ripe strawberries with a green, nettly note spicing it up. Very full, mouthfilling style, but plainly very youthful and baring all its brutal structure today. Nice flavours, delicate red berries alongside more attractive peach and tangerine. Needs to soften up, but should be great when that has been done. From the 2007 Champagne Information Bureau Tasting . 16.5+/20 (March 2007)

Bollinger Grande Année Rosé 1999: A salmon-pink hue. Great character on the nose here, which shows notes of caramel, firm red and even black fruits, showing a little blackberry in particular. This is an unusual profile, and this shows on the palate which is very serious, quite firm, and is currently still a little disjointed in character. There is some naked alcohol, and even some tannin here. This has good potential though, but needs several years bottle age for all this to come together. From the annual Champagne Information Bureau Tasting. 16.5+/20 (March 2006)

1997

Bollinger Grande Année 1997: The 1997 does not quite have the quality of the 1999, but it remains worthwhile; on tasting today it demonstrates a pale straw hue, although it is just starting to take on a very slight tinge of onion skin, but it is certainly not mature. There is a plentiful, small to moderate sized bead. There is not as much development as I might have expected - I last tasted this only a few months ago - although the nose has attractive aromas of caramel and citrus fruits. An appealing palate, with plenty of youthful, sharply foaming mousse. A touch of coffee too, but the caramel is the most obvious flavour, a character which has been with this wine on every tasting so far. Plenty of acidity and structure here, a touch lean and metallic in character on this tasting although I haven't really noticed this before. A good rather than great Champagne, with a short sharp finish, this needs some time in the cellar to soften. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 16+/20 (March 2008)

Bollinger Grande Année 1997: A nice, clean appearance. Plenty of bead, small to moderate size. Nice, evolved nose, smoky caramel mixed with the fresh and appealing greenness of lime leaves, and even a touch of vanilla. Nice little nuances of organic complexity here. Full, fresh and rounded, with early secondary flavours, of caramel and coffee, but with piles of freshness, lovely acidity and a crisp mousse underneath it all. This is just fine. A really good effort for the vintage, showing better than both of my previous tastings. I shudder to think of the rise in price of Grande Année since I bought this though. From a tasting of the 1997 Vintage at ten years of age. 16.5+/20 (December 2007)

Bollinger Grande Année 1997: A mid-gold hue. Very different on the nose compared with my memory of my last tasting, as this displays a lot of buttery caramel and toffee character; does this reflect date of disgorgement? More sweet, creamy caramel character on the palate which is full and rounded and nicely textured, with just moderate acidity. Clearly a good wine for the vintage though. From the annual Champagne Information Bureau Tasting. 16+/20 (March 2006)

Bollinger Grande Année 1997: Mid gold hue. Fine central bead, with fatter bubbles at the rim. Clean, citrussy nose at first, showing some toastiness and a little smokiness with time in the glass. Youthful palate, vivacious with fresh, firm acidity. No great complexity and still a sheen of polished oak evident. Strikes me as more promising than the 92, but inferior to the 95 and obviously the 96. Will improve over three to four years. 16+/20 (February 2005)

1996

Bollinger Grande Année 1996: A fine, lemon gold hue, and a very tight and sparse bead. Wonderful nose, brimming with potential. Very well defined and taut and clean, just a little nutty character. Fresh, limpid, gentle but very persistent mousse couples very nicely with firm acidity and a very broad palate showing some very early mature character. Delicious potential. The most indrawn, most tightly coiled of these wines, but so lovely, and just brimming with great potential. From a 1996 Champagne tasting. 18.5+/20 (August 2007)

1995

Bollinger Grande Année 1995: Fantastic nose here, with a mix of nuts and marzipan, yeast and biscuits. Clear elegance on the palate, with a great depth of fruit coming through, with the same nuts and marzipan complexity. Wonderful balancing acidity and a soft mousse. Lovely stuff. Drinking well now, but sure to improve with further bottle age. From an Oddbins tasting. 18/20 (November 2001)

1992

Bollinger Grande Année 1992: Creamy, yeasty and rich on the nose. Some good complexities on the palate, freshly baked biscuits and fresh warm bread, with obvious leesy notes. Soft, balancing acidity. A delightful wine, and good quality for a poor vintage. For early drinking whilst you are waiting for the 1990 to come around. 17.5/20 (December 2000)

1990

Bollinger Grande Année 1990: A rich, golden hue, exactly as I commented one year ago. A nice bead, quite sparse and fine after a minute or two in the glass though. Very mature character here, caramel, praline, polished oak and even a touch of molasses. A fresh acid backbone on the palate, supporting a fine vinous character and a lot of substance. Toffee and coffee complexities, overall very well defined, rich, and still with plenty of potential. Great, very firm finish. Very fine indeed. A 2007 Christmas wine. 18.5/20 (December 2007)

Bollinger Grande Année 1990: A rich, golden hue, much more so than the previous wine. And so much more open on the nose also, which has a rich, praline, nutty-oily character. Simply gorgeous. Firm and meaty, very much in the Bollinger style on the palate, nicely developed, and a huge presence. Rounded and full of texture, but there is a fine, carrying acidity as well. With a rich panoply of flavours spiced with apples and nuts, this is another simply lovely wine that is open for business right now. A Christmas Wine. 18.5/20 (December 2006)

Bollinger Grande Année 1990: An impressive, rich golden colour, and a fine bead. And what a nose, classic Pinot-dominated Bollinger, with toasty-biscuit and almond aromas. Rich, with creamy mousse, fine acidity and a stylish flavour profile of toasty yeast. Good, full texture through the midpalate and an impressive finish. This is brilliant, and should continue to improve and drink well for eight to ten years. 18.5+/20 (January 2004)

1989

Bollinger Grande Année 1989: Another honeyed nose. A rich, honey and biscuit palate. Again quite dominate by the acidity, but with a good mousse and balancing rich flavours. From an 1989 Champagne tasting. 17.5/20 (June 2000)

1985

Bollinger Grande Année 1985: The colour stands out compared to the other wines. Classic meaty-cheesy Bollinger nose, of honey and nuts, oiled oak and Stilton. Big, concentrated, flavoursome palate. Mature, honey and oil. A gentle mousse though, with a full, creamy palate and fresh, firm acidity. Lovely. Although Bollinger's straight vintage wine, this was tasted in a Prestige Cuvée Champagne tasting. 17.5/20 (September 2004)

Non-Vintage

Tasting notes are ordered by date of tasting, most recent first. I have tried to indicate whether it is a tasting of a new release, or of a wine I have cellared.

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV: Current release. An appealing nose, woody-oily character, finely polished with notes of dried fruits. Full but with a bright mousse on the palate, and a fine acidic backbone. This is very nicely composed, with a firm, structured finish. Typically Bollinger, yet perhaps a touch more accessible than I would usually expect. Very good. From the 2008 annual Champagne tasting. 16.5+/20 (March 2008)

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV: A tasting of the latest release of the NV cuvée. This has a rather typical nose for Bollinger, of oiled wood and the mature note of oak fermented reserve wines. Full, dry, somewhat organic in character, with citrus orange notes through the midpalate. It is big and rich, a full bodied style, a touch oaky, with a fading mousse on the palate. Good acidity. Very good. From the 2007 Champagne Information Bureau Tasting. 16/20 (March 2007)

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV: A pale golden hue, with a fairly fine bead. Sweet biscuit notes on the nose, reflecting the Pinot-dominated (60% PN and 15% PM) encépagement, with evident complexity from the reserve wines. This is always the case with the Special Cuvée, as although the reserve wines account for less than 10% of the blend they include wines up to fifteen years of age. Full, biscuit and apple character with oak tones through the midpalate. Fresh, with a firm mousse. A fairly complex, mouth-filling non-vintage cuvée, this bottling showing particularly well. Very good indeed. 17/20 (November 2005)

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV: Purchased Spring 2002; approaching three years further cellar age. Pale hue. Very fine bead indeed. Evolved nose, with coffee and caramel, honey and coconut macaroons. Fresh, with a very gentle, sparkling, pétillant mousse. Quite light, no great impact or body, but with some nice bitter coffee notes. Plenty of interest here. Just gone over peak I think, and my last bottle (I think). 15.5/20 (February 2005)

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV: Purchased Spring 2002; two years further bottle age. A pale gold hue and a sparse, small bead. Typical Bollinger on the nose, with a buttercream richness wrapped around white fruits. Despite the cellar time this still has firm structure and acidity and plenty of primary fruit flavours, although with air it does reveal more mature aromas of coffee and caramel - most likely signs of development from the Chardonnay. A firm, slightly foamy mousse. Will improve further and I think I might have another bottle or two buried somewhere. 15.5/20 (June 2004)

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV: Purchased Spring 2002; twelve months further bottle age. A lemon-gold hue. Very typical Bollinger on the nose, which has rich, meaty, marzipan aromas, with nuances of toffee and yeast autolysis. The palate is lovely, quite classic yet also rich and structured. More nutty, almond aromas, carried by good acidity and structure. It's showing some characteristics of maturity on the palate, but the wine would still benefit from a year or two more in the cellar. Classic Bollinger. This non-vintage Champagne is a mini Grand Année if I ever tasted one. Definite development even over just a few months. Assessed in a non vintage Champagne tasting. 16/20 (May 2003)

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV: Purchased Spring 2002; nine months further bottle age. Slow to open on the nose, initially giving just some lemony white fruits and a few autolytic notes. With time there is more subtle coffee and toffee aromas. Similar nuances on the palate, but still surprisingly tight and with good acidity. Having already spent almost a year in the cellar, this wine is in need of more time. Who says NV cuvées are sold ready to drink? 16+/20 (February 2003)

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV: A tasting of the cuvée on the market at the time. More yeast is evident on the nose than I recall from previous cuvées. Nevertheless, a more typical combination of fresh apple yeast flavours are evident on the palate, with good lemony acidity. A toast and biscuit edge develops. Soft and creamy mousse. A good, clean NV wine. From an Oddbins tasting. 15.5/20 (November 2001)

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV: Purchased Summer 2000; six months further bottle age. Quite a rich colour, and a fine bead. Aromas of Bramley Apples fill the room on popping the cork. In the glass it has a rich, heady, leesy nose, with a touch of lemon curd. Likewise leesy and lemony on the palate, with a soft but persistent mousse which has a creamy edge. Balanced, fresh acidity. Good finish. 15.5+/20 (December 2000)

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV: A tasting of the NV cuvée on the market at the time; possibly the same wine as above. A creamy, yeasty nose. A soft mousse which doesn't fade, with a good balance of fruit and lemony acidity. From a Portland Wine tasting. 16.5/20 (December 2000)