Bollinger - Spéciale Cuvée
The Champagne House Bollinger is located in Aÿ, in the Vallée de la Marne in Champagne. The House (originally known as Renaudin-Bollinger & Cie) was founded in 1829. It passed through generations of the family of Bollinger until 2008 when, for the first time in its history, the chairman came from outside of the family. Champagne Bollinger is still independently owned. The majority of the vines are located on Premier Cru and Grand Cru plots and the house style is focused on Pinot Noir (60%), with Chardonnay and Meunier being used to enhance rather than dominate. Two thirds of the grapes are estate grown, with the rest coming from growers with a long history with the house; all plots are vinified separately to allow for each specific terroir to be fully expressed. The house has a large portfolio of reserve wines that are kept under cork rather than the more traditional crown cap. This is both time-consuming and expensive, with hand-riddling and disgorgement needed, which is why the majority of Champagne houses do not follow this practice.
Bollinger Spéciale Cuvée is a blend of Pinot Noir (60%), Chardonnay (25%) and Meunier (15%), 85% of which comes from parcels classified as Grands and Premiers Crus. The majority is made up of reserve wines, some of which are kept in magnums for 5 to 15 years. Maturation in the cellar lasts twice as long as the rules of the appellation (minimum 15 months of ageing, including 12 months on the lees). The dosage is between 7 and 8 g/L.
Grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Meunier + reserve wines