The house of Bollinger was founded in the Marne village of Ay in 1829, and the identity of its Champagnes is driven more than anything by Marne Valley Pinot Noir. It was awarded the Royal Warrant by the British Royal family in 1884, but its real rise to greatness came later. Madame Lily Bollinger took control of the house in 1942, on the death of her husband Jacques. She guided the house carefully through the remaining years of the war, then set about acquiring prime new vineyard sites principally in the Marne, bringing it close to its present day total of 178 hectares of vineyard (85% of which are in grand or premier cru sites). In the 1960s, when many houses were introducing stainless steel fermentation vessels, she struck resolutely to the use of oak vessels for most cuvees. So along with Pinot Noir dominance, the use of 228-litre Burgundian pieces remains a defining element for this house.

Special Cuvee is the classic non-vintage, made from a blend of three vintages, a fifth fermented in oak, together with 5% of reserve wines which have been kept under magnum. The vintage Grande Annee is 85-90% from grand cru sites, is fermented entirely in oak for greater richness, and spends seven years on the lees. As well as the toasty, pink NV Brut Rose, there is a vintage Grande Annee Rose. The outstanding R.D. (Recently Disgorged) cuvee is effectively Grande Annee with many more years ageing on the lees. Starting in 2020, Bollinger began releasing the PN series of Blanc de Noirs, with a different focus each year on Pinot Noir vineyards that have performed particularly well. And the house also releases the remarkable Vieilles Vignes Francaises cuvee, from two walled vineyards close to the house which have somehow (so far, but perhaps not for much longer) survived untouched by phylloxera and are on their own, ungrafted rootstock. As such, they make a ‘living legacy’ Champagne that reflects Champagne as it was a hundred and fifty years ago. (NT 20/06/25)