Average rating 4.9/5 stars across all Google and external reviews
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Bought directly from Bollinger through their UK agent Mentzendorff, the bottles are stored in bond at London City Bond Eton Park, in ideal conditions at a constant 13°C. For same-day deliveries, small quantities are kept in our office cellar, where the temperature is maintained between 11–13°C. We source all our bottles directly from the Maison or their official UK office, eliminating the risk of poor storage. This is crucial, as champagne quality is highly sensitive to heat: temperatures above 18°C accelerate maturity significantly, which compromises quality.
Champagne Bollinger owns an impressive 178 hectares of vineyards, of which 85% are in Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages. Their land is spread over seven main villages: Aÿ, Avenay, Louvois, Tauxières and Verzenay planted with Pinot Noir; Cuis with Chardonnay; and Champvoisy with Meunier. Bollinger are one of the few Houses to produce the majority of their own grapes for their blends. Pinot Noir represents 60% of the House's vineyards and defines the House style: complex and powerful with remarkable structure. In 2012 Champagne Bollinger was certified High Environment Value (HEV) this certification rewards a number of environmental procedures implemented at the Maison.
In 1976, Bollinger Vintage was re-named Grande Année. Then in 1997, it became La Grande Année - 'The Great Year' - a name simple enough to illustrate its exceptional status, because only truly extraordinary years become vintage at Bollinger. This vintage is entirely fermented in oak barrel and is produced from fourteen crus: 91% Grand Cru and 9% Premier Cru. 2008 is the first vintage of La Grande Année to be bottled in the new '1846' bottle which is to replicate a small magnum. This bottle has been completely redesigned, inspired by a 19th-century bottle discovered in the Bollinger cellars which dates back to 1846. The idea in using the curved shape of the bottle is to aim for the perfect balance of a “small magnum” with a narrower neck and a wider base, to very slightly slow down the oxygen exchange and therefore give a better quality wine with longer ageing potential.
Vinification takes place exclusively in small old oak barrels (20 years old on average), maintained in Bollinger’s cooperage, of which there are almost 3,500. Riddling and disgorging are performed entirely by hand, and take place after ageing on the lees in bottles with natural corks.
Weather: After a rainy but mild winter without any prolonged cold spells, spring arrived with some very localised frosts. Cool weather returned in June and the infrequent sunshine prolonged the feeling of freshness. The spring to autumn weather was bright with sunny spells and the long, hot days and cool nights during September gave the grapes excellent acidity during the harvest period. The 2008 vintage is fast emerging as one of the best since the renowned and now-legendary 2002.
Bollinger La Grande Année 2008 is in short supply compared to previous vintages since Bollinger has decided to keep a larger than normal proportion of the champagne on the lees longer and released as R.D. - LGA and RD are identical base wines and the only difference is R.D. is left on the lees 3-5 years longer and then suits a lower dosage and with 2008 being a year where pH is 2.92 (very low) and total acidity is relatively high the wines will benefit from longer lees ageing hence explaining the decision by Bollinger to release less as LGA and keep more for the RD program. Magnums of LGA are exceptionally rare.
Technical Information:
Vineyards: 91% Grand Cru, 9% Premier Cru | Pinot Noir: Aÿ, Verzenay | Chardonnay: Avize, Cramant, Oger
Grape Varieties: 71% Pinot Noir, 29% Chardonnay
Ageing: 9 years on the lees
Dosage: 8 g/l
Disgorged: June 2018
Drink: Now to 2030
Tasting Note: On the nose, initial scents of almonds and fleshy fruits such as mango combine with citrus notes and grapefruit. On the palate, the citrus notes continue and lead the way for honeyed flavours and a long lasting refreshing finish. A champagne that will age really well.
Champagne Bollinger have been creating prestigious champagnes with character, distinguished by their elegance and complexity, since 1829. The story began when the son of a noble family, Athanase de Villermont, inherited an extensive estate in the Aÿ region. Foreseeing the extraordinary potential of the wines of Champagne, he founded the firm Renaudin-Bollinger & Cie upon meeting Joseph Bollinger, a widely travelled German and Paul Renaudin, a local man fascinated by the world of wine. Nearly two hundred years later, Bollinger are one of the biggest names in the region and are famously the preferred champagne brand of fictional British Secret Service agent, James Bond.
The House owns an impressive 178 hectares of vineyards, of which 85% are Grand Cru and Premier Cru vines. Their land is spread over seven main vineyards: Aÿ, Avenay, Louvois, Tauxières and Verzenay planted with Pinot Noir; Cuis with Chardonnay; and Champvoisy with Meunier. Bollinger are one of the few Houses to produce the majority of their own grapes for their blends. Pinot Noir represents 60% of the House's vineyards and defines the House style: complex and powerful with remarkable structure. In 2012 it was certified HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE (HEV) this certification rewards a number of environmental procedures implemented at the Champagne Bollinger vineyard, such as the large-scale reduction in the use of vine protection products, the implementation of organic pesticide treatments across the entire vineyard, energy recovery from pruning waste, the application of experimental organic farming on a section of the vineyard, and the numerous other actions carried out to protect biodiversity and embellish the vineyard.
Cellar Master: Denis Bunner
Winery Location: Aÿ | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Vallée de la Marne
Annual Production (bottles): 2,500,000
Chef de Cave History at Champagne Bollinger:
Denis Bunner 2023 - Current | Joined Bollinger as Deputy Chef de Cave in 2013 and became the 7th Chef de Cave in 2023. He joined 6th September 2013 and the harvest started end of September. He was involved in quality control, first grape purchasing, where he implemented new techniques to control the must’s quality at the laboratory. Very quickly it gave the Maison a quick global overview of the harvest’s quality and ability to control it more efficiently. In 2014 he oversaw the jetting process, used in Special Cuvee and case by case with the vintage cuvee. Before Bollinger Denis worked at the CIVC Oenology department, where for ten years he was involved with research and a member of the Laboratory of Tasting and Sensory Analysis, this tasting has mapped out his journey.
Gilles Descôtes 2013 - 2023 | In 2003 Gilles joined Champagne Bollinger holding a string of key positions; Deputy Director of Production, Director of Vineyards and Procurement and Technical Director. During his tenure as Director of Vineyards he lead the way for more sustainable farming in the vineyards, a key achievement for the HEV certification awarded to the Maison in 2012. Long before he was chef de cave, he was part of the tasting committee so in 2013 he was a natural successor to the outgoing chef de cave in 2013. He wasted no time in recruiting his deputy, Denis Bunner joined him in September 2013 from the CIVC. Gilles Descôtes pays the greatest attention to the grape, a raw material whose excellence is essential for the production of an exceptional champagne and his philosophy can be summed up "respect for the grape, to achieve the purity of the wines." He held the position for over 10 years, guiding the House's style, protecting traditions and sprinkling a little gold dust here and there! He was part of the team for example who in 2008 introduced nitrogen to the racking process protecting the wines from oxygen. Gilles grew up in Oger in the Côtes des Blancs and spent his childhood in Champagne. He went to primary school in Oger, high school in Épernay, before continuing his studies in Reims, Paris and Montpellier. A very warm and gentle soul who was incredibly generous with sharing information. After a short illness he died in January 2023, a major loss to the house and Champagne world.
Mathieu Kauffmann 2004 - 2013 | In February 2001 he joined the winemaking team at Bollinger working alongside Gérard Liot and became chef de cave in 2004. During his time at Champagne Bollinger he was an integral part to the Maison achieving its HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE (HEV) certification, awarding key environmental achievements across the winemaking and vineyard operations. He also believed "the wood allows the must to breathe" as a result all vintage cuvee became 100% fermented in oak. Mathieu also oversaw the construction of the Mareuil-sur-Ay pressing center and the expansion of the cellars in Ay. Kauffmann started his sparkling wine career in 1992 in his native Alsace where he headed up the Crémant production of the Cave d’Eguisheim.
Gérard Liot 1989 - 2004 | A local champenoise who joined Champagne Bollinger in 1969 and twenty years later was promoted to chef de cave.
Expert Reviews
98/100
Richard Juhlin
“Of the three bottles I so devotedly enjoyed before the rest of the journalism world had time to pounce on this rare treasure, two were somewhat tied up initially in the scent while the third showed off the impressive peacock's tail in its full glory at once. Regardless of the development phase, this is a regal and heroic Bollinger characterized by restrained power and energetic energy. I love meeting this untouched force and carefully analyzing its sublime elements, but at the same time I have to admit that we are dealing with a real "vin de garde" that will not reach its maximum capacity before its 25th birthday. The structure is impressive, based of course on the high acidity of the vintage in the first place. This very high acidity means that the other building blocks can appear as subordinate, but they have a great wealth of both oak embossed secondary aromas and flaunted dark fruit. At present, the aromatic spectrum is characterized by fresh hazelnuts from Piedmont, green apples, chalky minerals and perfumed orange blossom. Buy a case of 12 and follow its aromatic journey to heaven if you get the chance.”
97+/100
William Kelley
“Bollinger's 2008 La Grande Année is superb, wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, ripe lemons, honeycomb, warm biscuits, dried white flowers and a delicate top note of walnuts and fino sherry. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, broad and vinous, with a beautifully refined mousse, superb concentration at the tightly wound core, incisive acids and a supremely elegant intermingling of Bollinger's oxidative stylistic signatures with fresh, vibrant fruit. The finish is long, precise and chalky. This is a Grande Année built for the cellar—the real excitement will come with a bit more bottle age—but this is already a thrilling Champagne in the making. Finished with eight grams per liter dosage, it was disgorged by hand in July 2018. This is also the first vintage of Grande Année to be bottled in Bollinger's new narrower-necked 1846 bottle, which should make for a slower evolving wine.”
95 → 97/100
Essi Avellan MW
“Ripe fruity yet at the same time elegant nose with stylish restraint promising longevity. Golden delicious apples, biscuits and lemon alongside complex spicy tones. Lovely creaminess on the fresh and linear palate that finishes with a bite of mineral salinity. The tension and playfulness on the palate is its most attractive feature. Long and intense, yet light-weight palate finishing fresh with its 8g/l dosage (November 2018 disgorgement). Really satisfying already in the 75cl bottle, which benefits from the new bottle shape with narrower neck for “magnum effect”. But as always at Bollinger, the larger formats just sing bringing an attractive, complementary reductive toasty complexity. And of course the mousses in both magnum (96p->98p) and jeroboam (97p -> 99p) are ultra fine. This should have been a bigger quantity vintage for Bollinger and probably plenty will be held back as R.D. So prepare for a shortage of it.”
17.5++/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“Magnum - Dense nose with some of the really dry Bollinger savour on the palate. This is a wine, like so many Bollingers, that really needs time in the glass to open out – and indeed time in the bottle to develop to its full potential. This is an extremely dry-tasting wine, even though the dosage was 8 g/l, higher than usual because of the extremely low pH, 2.92. Very Bollinger but, for the moment, by no means a charmer. ”
97/100
Antonio Galloni
“Bollinger's 2008 Grande Année is rich, ample and full-bodied, with all of the pedigree of the vintage on display. Dried pear, dried flowers, chamomile, red plum and mint develop as the 2008 shows the breadth and creaminess that are such signatures of the Bollinger house style. A whole range of brighter, more floral and chalky notes appear later, adding translucence and energy. The 2008 is 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay taken across 18 crus, and it is the Pinot that very much informs the wine in both flavor and texture. More importantly, the 2008 is one of the best Grande Années I can remember tasting. Bollinger fans won't want to miss it. Disgorged November 2018. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW
“Disgorged July 2018. Tasted blind. The lightest of these, the most evanescent. Some astringency on the end. Rather loose-textured and the least developed in this blind tasting with, apparently, not that much persistence. Very embryonic. 12% ”
An exceptional evening in the village of Aÿ as Champagne Bollinger unveiled La Grande Année 2018, marking the first chapter in its journey towards its bicentenary in 2029.
To mark the release of the movie No Time To Die, the 25th instalment of the James Bond series, the House created a limited edition wine dedicated to 007, with a 2011 vintage inspired by the world of Bond.
Ever wondered what makes a good vintage and which years were the best in Champagne? This is the Champagne Vintage Guide, their overall ratings according to Essi Avellan MW and the best releases of the Vintage year.
Today on The Friday Bubble Essi Avellan and Nick Baker discuss Bollinger's latest release La Grande Année Rose 2014 & comparing to the previously released LGA 2014.
Today on The Friday Bubble, Essi Avellan MW and Nick Baker, Founder of The Finest Bubble introduce Champagne Bollinger’s new release, the 3rd interpretation of the PN series, TX17.
Today sees the next edition in this new line-up. PN VZ16 is the second interpretation in a new series that will be released every year, always with a focus on one of Bollinger’s Pinot Noir crus.
In celebration of over 40 years of partnership as the Official Champagne of 007 and the upcoming film No Time To Die, Champagne Bollinger has produced a limited edition gift box that brings together three icons: Bollinger’s signature Special Cuvée, the Aston Martin DB5 and James Bond.
How Bollinger’s new PN VZ 15 is a glorious deep-dive into terroir - Written by Anne Krebiehl MW for The-Buyer.Net
The new Bollinger PN VZ 15 releases on 21st July 2020
During a visit to the house of Bollinger in Aÿ last year, we explored champagnes from some of the region's hottest ever vintages, dating as far back as 1947. We also held a mini-vertical of Special Cuvée base vintages, tasted a trio of R.D.s and had a look at the new Coteaux Champenois.
Shortly after the 2018 harvest, Bollinger Chef de Cave Gilles Descôtes declared that "2017 was the worst harvest of my life and 2018 is the best". We visited the house in Aÿ to taste the base wines and also tasted some of the rarer grape varieties, such as Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Gris.
Yesterday, Bollinger launched their latest vintage champagne, La Grande Année 2008. From the vintage of the century and with a redesigned bottle that decelerates oxygen exchange, this could be their best yet. We compared it in bottle, magnum and jeroboam at The Ledbury in London.
On Wednesday 6th March 2019, we’ll be going LIVE on Instagram TV with Bollinger winemaker Karl Reuter, who'll be guiding us through a tasting of six Bollinger champagnes and answering questions put to him by the live audience.
Although Chef de Cave Gilles Descôtes described 2017 as "the worst since 1893", Bollinger continued to innovate. We tasted the results of some exciting trials they are conducting with the rarer grape varieties Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Gris.
It's not often that we taste Champagne that belongs in a museum. Our visit to Bollinger with Jancis Robinson MW included a tour of the newly renovated cellars and a tasting of Champagne produced during WWI.
The difficult 2016 vintage appears to have been kind to Champagne Bollinger. We tasted the Vins Clairs at the winery in Aÿ last month and the house are optimsitic - even drawing likeness to the magnificent 1988 vintage! We judged for ourselves...
